Frank Vogel and Talen Horton-Tucker of the LA Lakers
Frank Vogel (right) joined the Lakers in 2019

The Los Angeles Lakers failed to make the play-offs this season and have fired head coach Frank Vogel.

The team won 33 of their matches, but lost 49 and finished 11th in the Western Conference.

His last match was a 146-141 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets.

Rob Pelinka, the Lakers general manager, said: "This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point."

As reports suggested that he was going to lose his job, after the win over Denver, Vogel said that he would deal with tomorrow.

The Lakers issued a statement thanking him for his efforts, with the 48-year-old having led them to the NBA championship in 2020.

Pelinka said he has a lot of respect for Frank both on and off the court.

Frank is a good man and a great coach. We will always be grateful for his help in guiding us to the NBA championship.

The process of finding a sixth full-time head coach since Phil Jackson retired in 2011 is expected to take some time.

Only Jackson has led the team to a championship in the last 30 years.

Despite failing to make the NBA post-season for the fourth time in his 19-year career, Lakers star player James said he had nothing but respect for Vogel.

The four-time NBA champion said that he respected Frank as a coach, as a man.

He is a guy who gives everything to the game.

After joining the Lakers on a three-year deal, he helped the team to the 2020 title in Florida. He was rewarded with a contract extension at the end of 2020-2021 as his side earned the reputation for being one of the best defensive teams in his first two seasons in charge.

They finished the season in the bottom 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency after finishing first in 2020-21 and third in 2019.

The Lakers missed out on the play-offs. They lost their seventh straight game to the Phoenix Suns.

Injuries to several key players contributed to the Lakers falling below expectations, despite being one of the favorites in the Western Conference.

James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook only played together in 21 matches, and they had a record of 11-10.

The Lakers lost 18 of 24 games after the All-Star break, with only the Trail blazers and Pacers having worse records.

It is likely that he will be in demand. He has won a championship and reached the conference finals in three different times. He had a 127-98 record in Los Angeles.

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