Summary:
- Frank Vogel joins the Warriors as associate head coach after Terry Stotts’ departure, sources say.
- Vogel won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and reached two Eastern Conference finals with the Indiana Pacers.
- The veteran coach is expected to lead Golden State’s defensive game planning next season.
The Golden State Warriors have added one of the NBA‘s most accomplished coaches to Steve Kerr’s staff, hiring former NBA champion Frank Vogel as associate head coach.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Vogel will fill the vacancy created veteran assistant Terry Stotts, turning into the highest-profile addition to Golden State’s coaching staff this offseason.
Vogel boasts over 10 years of experience as head coach for the Warriors. Over the course of 12 seasons, the 53-year-old led no less than four NBA franchises and managed to become one of the league’s strongest defensive minds.
His greatest success came alongside the Los Angeles Lakers, which he guided to the 2020 NBA championship inside the Orlando bubble.
Prior to that, he led the Indiana Pacers to Eastern Conference Finals appearances both in 2013 and 2014, turning the franchise into one of the top teams in the conference.
Most recently, Vogel was head coach with the Phoenix Suns during the 2023 and 2024 season. Despite the Suns finishing with a solid 49-and-33 record, their campaign came to an abrupt end as a result of the first-round playoff sweep by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This ultimately triggered Vogel’s departure after only one season.
Over the past two years, Frank Vogel has remained active in the NBA as part of the Dallas Mavericks coaching staff. He initially joined the organization as a coaching consultant before moving to a full-time assistant role on the bench last season.
The Warriors have changed their coaching staff following the 2025 and 2026 campaign. Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse both left after the season. Longtime assistant Chris DeMarco departed earlier this year, for the head coach position for the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
Vogel is expected to take on a leading role in defensive game planning, an area that had previously been overseen by Stackhouse and DeMarco.
For Golden State, adding a coach with championship credentials and a proven defensive track record represents another step toward strengthening the staff around Kerr as the Warriors prepare for the upcoming NBA season.
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