LeBron's Former Teammate Bashes Lakers Over Vogel Firing

PublishedApril 12, 2022 2:27 PM EDT|UpdatedApril 12, 2022 2:27 PM EDT

Richard Jefferson, LeBron James' teammate during his 2016 championship run in Cleveland, took to ESPN to bash the Lakers for the way they handled the firing of Frank Vogel. Jefferson is reacting to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski that the Lakers were firing Vogel mere minutes after the team's final game was over. Yikes.

"Woj tweeted one minute after the game that Frank Vogel was fired...the Lakers didn't even have the decency to inform the coach that won them a championship 18 months ago, that they were going to let him go. The Lakers organization is in utter disarray," Jefferson said.

We can confirm Frank Vogel had no clue because he stated earlier this week that he hadn't been told anything about his future in LA.

"I haven't heard sh**," Vogel said when asked about his job security for 2023.

Richard Jefferson is right. The team demonstrates a lack of professionalism when they dismiss their head coach minutes after the final buzzer. That move sends a message that the organization felt their first move had to be dismissing Vogel like the roster wasn't total cheeks. No shooting, Anthony Davis was a total dud in 2022, and Russell Westbrook made $44 million to do cardio and toss up bricks. Now suddenly they're treating the coach like he's the problem?

No sign of professionalism from anyone within that Lakers organization, let alone gratitude for the guy who won a championship less than two years ago.

The comment section on ESPN's tweet alleged that Magic Johnson leaked the firing. If true, why would that have any impact on how this departure was handled? Magic Johnson is already known for allowing leaks under his watch, so why would he be trusted with confidential information regarding Frank Vogel? Utter stupidity if indeed Lakers GM Rob Pelinka gave Magic that type of intel before he could break the news himself.

This issue isn't complex: Tell Frank Vogel he's been let go and THEN tell the public. It's called professionalism. Not much of that in sports these days.