The Charlotte Hornets have found their next head coach.
First reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday morning, the Hornets have signed Boston Celtics top assistant Charles Lee to a four-year deal. Lee will take over for Steve Clifford, who led Charlotte to a 21-61 record during the 2023-24 regular season.
“The opportunity to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets is a dream come true,” Lee said in a statement. “I want to thank Rick Schnall, Gabe Plotkin and Jeff Peterson for the trust they are placing in me to lead this team. The Hornets have a talented young core of players and I’m excited about our future and what we can build here. There are few places as passionate about basketball as the Carolinas, and I look forward to coming to Charlotte and getting to work.”
Lee will spend the rest of the playoffs with Boston before he joins the Hornets full-time. The 39-year old spent this season with the Celtics and head coach Joe Mazzula after coaching for the Bucks under Mike Budenholzer the previous five seasons. He was on Milwaukee's staff in 2021 when it won the NBA title.
Lee played collegiate basketball at Bucknell, where he also started his coaching career in 2012. He spent two years there before joining Budenholzer on the Atlanta Hawks in 2014.
"Charles possesses a championship pedigree with a wide range of basketball knowledge and NBA experience, has a tremendous work ethic and is a great communicator," said Hornets Executive VP of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson. "He shares our vision for this organization, and I look forward to partnering with him in building something special here in the Carolinas. I can’t wait for our Hornets community to meet Charles, his wife Lindsey and his beautiful daughters, and feel Charles’ passion for the game and the intensity of his desire to win.”
The Hornets could take a big leap in 2024-25 if things break the right way. The main priority will be keeping guard LaMelo Ball healthy after missing 60 games this season. If Ball can return to the way he played as a rookie, when he was an All-Star selection, then the Hornets have a solid core with him, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams to work around.
Charlotte has not made the playoffs since 2016, when they lost in the first round to the Miami Heat. The last time the Hornets won a playoff series was in 2002, when they beat the Orlando Magic in Round 1.
