Frank Vogel wasn’t the Lakers’ first choice. But he was the “shadow president’s.”

One month after the Lakers parted ways with Luke Walton, the beleaguered franchise finally ended its disastrous coaching search by signing former Pacers/Magic coach Frank Vogel to a three-year deal. Vogel, 45, was signed because Monty Williams chose Phoenix, because Tyronn Lue dropped his name from consideration, but mostly, because Kurt Rambis signed off on it.

According to multiple reports, the former Lakers forward/assistant, who returned to the team in September as a senior basketball adviser under then-president Magic Johnson, has leapfrogged general manager Rob Pelinka to become Los Angeles’ most important on-court decision-maker since Johnson surprisingly stepped down just before the regular season ended. Rambis, who one executive told Bleacher Report is the Lakers’ “shadow president,” also pushed for Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to hire Jason Kidd as an assistant coach.

Rambis’ wife, Linda, has spent decades working for the Lakers, where she became best friends with Buss, and the owner’s closest adviser, along with the team’s executive director of special projects. Kurt Rambis comes from the Phil Jackson tree, and coached with the Knicks from 2014-18, going down when Jeff Hornacek was canned.

Though the Lakers franchise looks significantly different from the once-proud organization LeBron James agreed to join last summer — strangely signing a four-year deal without an opt-out clause — the four-time MVP is longtime friends with Kidd, who played alongside James on Team USA.

Vogel made the playoffs during five of his eight years in Indiana and Orlando, while Kidd will be back on a bench for the first time since being fired by Milwaukee midway through last season.