Shaquille O’Neal reveals his pick to replace Frank Vogel as next Lakers head coach

By James Kingsley
Updated: April 27, 2022

The Los Angeles Lakers made headlines when news of them firing former head coach Frank Vogel leaked seconds after their final game of the season.

Most were taken aback in which how the firing unfolded. Nonetheless, there are a handful of candidates who seem willing to become the next head coach of the Lakers.

One of those candidates is former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson. Jackson spent three years as head coach of the Warriors and compiled a record of 121-109 during his time there.

One former Laker who seems to be a strong proponent of Jackson is none other than Laker legend Shaquille O’Neal.

O’Neal recently told Reuters in an exclusive interview that Jackson would be his pick to lead next year’s iteration of the Lakers.

“Mark Jackson helped build Golden State before Steve Kerr took it to the next level,” he said. “He made it a very sexy brand to watch, so I’m sure he can do that with LeBron [James] and Russ (Russell Westbrook).”

Whoever ends up as the next coach of the Lakers will certainly have his or her hands full if the same Big 3 return next season. That’s because of enormous chemistry issues, particularly the ones involving Westbrook.

The 33-year-old never really acclimated with the roster all season long and contributed to several losses due to his turnovers at critical junctures of games and refusal to play defense. Not to mention, his inefficiency next to James stifled the team’s offense.

The Lakers can bring in all the new coaches they want, but if the roster stays more or less the same next season, a new coach will have a marginal effect at best.