Who is Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel?
Frank Vogel
Hometown: Wildwood Crest, New Jersey.
Age: 50.
Coaching experience: Vogel has compiled a 431-390 record in 11 NBA seasons after serving as an assistant with the Indiana Pacers (2007-11), Philadelphia 76ers (2004-05) and Boston Celtics (2001-04).
Vogel took a year off coaching after a three-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers (2019-22). Vogel coached LeBron James and the Lakers to an NBA championship his first season as their head coach in the 2019-20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The interrupted season concluded in the Orlando Bubble.
Compiling a 127-98 record with the Lakers, Vogel was fired after the 2021-22 season as the Lakers failed to make the playoffs in 2022 after being eliminated in the first round by the Suns in the 2021 playoffs.
Before that, Vogel served as head coach of the Orlando Magic for two seasons (2016-18), going 54-110.
Vogel started his NBA head coaching career with the Indiana Pacers during the 2010-11 season as he replaced Jim O'Brien. Posting a 250-181 record in six seasons (2010-16), Vogel coached the Pacers to the playoffs five times. The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference finals twice (2013, 2014) before losing to James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2023: Named Suns head coach June 6, 2023. Signed to five-year, $31-million contract.
Personal: After starring at Wildwood High School where his No. 22 jersey is retired, Vogel attended NCAA Division III Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania before transferring to the University of Kentucky his senior year. Vogel became a student manager for the Wildcats under Rick Pitino. He graduated from Kentucky in 1998 with a degree in biology.
Pitino gave Vogel his first shot in the NBA as a video coordinator when becoming head coach of the Boston Celtics in 1997.
Vogel and his wife, Jenifer, have two children — Alexa and Arianna.
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about Phoenix Suns first-year head coach Frank Vogel
