Frank Vogel, the coach who led LeBron James and Anthony Davis to an NBA title in 2020, is officially joining the Golden State Warriors as their Associate Head Coach. This huge announcement came Thursday, confirming news that had been floating around for months. He’s stepping in for Terry Stotts, and with the NBA season almost here, you know the Dubs are plotting big things.
Vogel Brings Serious Rings and Experience
This isn’t just any coaching hire, folks. Vogel’s resume is absolutely stacked, and he’s bringing all that expertise to Steve Kerr’s bench. We’re talking about a guy with seven-plus years as an assistant before taking over the Indiana Pacers for five and a half seasons, starting way back in 2010-11. After that, he spent two years as the head coach of the Orlando Magic, then, following a year off, led the Los Angeles Lakers to that championship in 2020. Seriously, an NBA title! He even spent a year as head coach of the Phoenix Suns and was an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks last season. He took the 2024-25 season off, so he’s coming back fresh. With his track record, you gotta believe the Warriors are looking at him to help cook up another “2022-esque surprise season” when they converge in Hawaii in just 12 days.
Player Development and Front Office Get a Boost
But the Vogel hire isn’t the only move the Warriors made. They also announced a bunch of crucial promotions and new hires that show a clear focus on player development and internal growth. Ben Stelzer, who was the Head Video Coordinator, is now also a Player Development Coach. Everett Dayton got a bump from Player Development Coach to Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach. And Tyler Larsen is moving up from the Santa Cruz Warriors to join the NBA squad as a Player Development Coach. They even brought in three new Video Associate, Player Development hires: Adam Fravert, John Wade, and Nate Karren.
On the front office side, Tatianna Lampley went from Specialist of Basketball Development to Specialist of Player Engagement. Jason Staudt, formerly a Pro Scout, is now the Director of Pro Personnel. And a true franchise veteran, Eric Housen, is getting ready for his 40th season by moving from Vice President of Team Operations to Senior Vice President of Team Operations. Bert Ortiz Jr., the Team Chef, even got promoted to Housen’s old VP of Team Operations role. These are the kinds of moves that build championship cultures from the ground up, not just big-name coaching hires.
With all these changes, especially getting an NBA title-winning coach like Vogel in the building, the Warriors are clearly gearing up. They’ll be plotting, planning, and practicing hard in Hawaii. You know they’re hoping these fresh faces and enhanced roles are exactly what they need to kick off an 18th season for Steph Curry and a 13th for Steve Kerr with a bang and chase that “2022-esque surprise season.” It’s going to be wild to see if it all pays off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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