LeBron James Reveals When Frank Vogel Earned His Respect

LeBron James has worked with a lot of head coaches throughout his career. Coaching King James can be quite a challenge, but only a few coaches have been able to stay on their position. Erik Spoelstra led LeBron and the Miami Heat to two titles. LeBron has the power to change his coach, and many stories actually confirm this. Luke Walton didn’t have much success with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, and he was fired after the end of the regular season. Frank Vogel coaches the Lakers now, and LeBron James really likes him.

Vogel was really successful with the Indiana Pacers, but some were skeptical about his impact in LA. Some even said that Vogel wouldn’t stay on his position for too long. Jason Kidd and Lionel Hollins are here, too.

Well, LeBron sure respects his head coach, and Vogel actually learned this respect long ago.

“I already respected Frank just from a competitive standpoint, and when I was in Miami competing versus the Indiana Pacers teams,” King James said of Vogel. “You saw how they were always prepared. They were dedicated to their game plan. They were always ready for our matchups every time we played them. The battles we had versus those teams in Indiana. Didn’t need to have a level of respect because it was already there from the jump.”

Vogel and LeBron have great communication

In his debut season with the Lakers, Luke Walton didn’t have much success. However, he was really successful as an assistant under Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. A lot of players praised Walton, and Kobe Bryant is one of them. It was more than obvious that he’d become a great coach one day.

Walton’s time with the Lakers ended after LeBron’s debut season with the team. Tyronn Lue almost got the job, but he didn’t reach an agreement with the team. Instead of Lue, the Lakers hired Vogel.

Today, the Lakers own the Western Conference, and they are on a good way to win a title. LeBron and Anthony Davis lead the team to the NBA playoffs, and things got really hot on the court. The team doesn’t need any adjustments, and the players have perfect chemistry. That’s why Rob Pelinka didn’t sign a new player ahead of the trade deadline. His team didn’t need a change.