Charlotte Hornets name Charles Lee as next head coach

NBA.COM

The Charlotte Hornets hired Boston Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee as head coach Thursday. In 10 years as an NBA assistant, Lee has made the playoffs nine times.

The Charlotte Hornets have their new head coach.

The Hornets signed Boston Celtics lead assistant coach Charles Lee to a four-year deal 36 days after Steve Clifford announced he would step down for a front office role. Lee has 10 years of experience as an NBA assistant and will join the Hornets following the conclusion of the Celtics’ 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 [owners] Rick Schnall, Gabe Plotkin and [executive vice president of basketball operations] 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, 39, worked with Peterson when they were both in Atlanta. Peterson speaks highly of Lee and feels he can help them rebuild after a 21-61 season that landed them in Sunday’s NBA draft lottery.

“We are excited to welcome Charles Lee as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets,” Peterson said. “His high character and his ability to connect with players while also instilling a culture of accountability will serve us well as we construct a competitive team built for long-term success. Charles possesses a championship pedigree with a wide range of basketball knowledge and NBA experience.”

Leading up to his time in Boston, Lee was an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, including their 2021 title team. While with the Bucks, Lee helped Milwaukee to an average of 54.2 wins per season in his five years with the team, including 60 in 2018-19.

In his 10 seasons as an assistant, teams Lee was a part of have a combined record of 510-291 in the regular season and reached the playoffs nine times.

Lee helped lead Boston to a league best 64-18 regular season record in 2023-24, the fourth most wins in franchise history. The Celtics led the NBA in offensive rating and finished the season third in defensive rating.

Lee started his coaching career as an assistant at Bucknell from 2012-14. He played four seasons at Bucknell, leading the Bison to their only two NCAA tournament wins in school history. In 2017 he was inducted to the school’s athletics hall of fame. Lee played four professional seasons overseas as well.

The Hornets hope to improve on a 2023-24 season where they battled injuries throughout. Peterson feels Lee is the guy to do that.

“[Lee] has a tremendous work ethic and is a great communicator. He shares our vision for this organization, and I look forward to partnering with him in building something special here in the Carolinas,” Peterson said.”

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