Charlotte Hornets Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson announced today the team has hired Charles Lee as head coach. Lee, who brings 10 years of experience as an NBA assistant coach, will join the Hornets after concluding the NBA Playoffs with the Boston Celtics, where he has spent the 2023-24 season as the team’s top assistant.
“We are excited to welcome Charles Lee as the head coach of Charlotte Hornets,” said Peterson. “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, 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. 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.”
Prior to his time in Boston, Lee served five seasons (2018-2023) as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, ascending to associate head coach and helping guide the team to the 2020-21 NBA championship. He started his NBA career as an assistant coach for four seasons (2014-2018) with the Atlanta Hawks. Throughout his 10 NBA seasons, Lee’s teams have accumulated a 510-291 (.637) regular-season record, reached the playoffs nine times, captured seven division titles and earned five Eastern Conference No. 1 seeds. In four of the last six seasons, his teams have finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA.
“The opportunity to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets is a dream come true,” said Lee. “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.”