Warriors Hire Former One-And-Done Suns Head Coach

This former Phoenix Suns head coach will be seen a handful of times this coming season.

Dec 12, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel against the Golden State Warriors at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns will be seeing more of Frank Vogel.

Vogel, who previously served as the team's head coach, is joining Steve Kerr's staff on the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2025-26 season. He'll own the role of associate head coach.

Welcome to the Bay, Frank Vogel 👋

Coach Vogel joins the Warriors' staff as Associate Head Coach after two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, most recently serving as the team’s lead assistant coach for the 2025-26 season.

He has 12 years of head coaching experience with the… pic.twitter.com/IWQl8ob4nF

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) September 17, 2026

Vogel spent one full season as the Suns' coach in 2023-24, leading Phoenix to 49 wins before being swept in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's spent the last two seasons on the Dallas Mavericks' staff before landing in Golden State.

Vogel previously led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals in 2020 during the infamous "bubble" campaign. Prior to that, Vogel was known for his tough Indiana Pacers teams (2011-16) before a quick stint with the Orlando Magic (2016-18) as a head coach.

“When you put in this type of work for the 25 or so years that I’ve been doing it, you reach a level of expertise that you don’t want to go to waste,” Vogel said (h/t The Mercury News).

“And I love just being able to take all of the battle scars and all the knowledge that I’ve accumulated over the years, and using that to contribute to a group that is trying to do something special.”

Vogel joins a Warriors team that very much feels influx at the moment. Stars such as Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler are very much towards the end of their respective careers, as Golden State doesn't have much time left before seeing one (if not multiple) key faces leave — which includes Kerr.

On the flip side, the Suns are hoping to maximize Devin Booker's talents with Jordan Ott leading the way in his second season as Phoenix's head coach. After Monty Williams, Vogel and Mike Budenholzer, Ott was the Suns' fourth coach in four years — though Phoenix appears confident Ott can stick around.

As for Vogel, the Suns will see plenty of him thanks to his presence in the Pacific division.

“He made a great pitch and how I could come in here and make an impact on their team,” Vogel added. “That I would run the defense, and that there’s nobody in the league that they would want more to do it than me.”

Phoenix plays host to the Warriors for their regular season home opener on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Mortgage Matchup Center.