Charlotte Hornets announce Charles Lee as new head coach

Charles Lee is finally getting his chance.

The current Boston Celtics lead assistant and someone who has been near the front of the line of accomplished top assistant coaches deserving a shot has been hired as the new head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, the team has announced.

Lee will continue his duties with the Celtics during their playoff run — which could very well extend into June — before taking over in Charlotte. He has been given a four-year contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Lee takes over for veteran coach Steve Clifford and is the first big move for new general manager Jeff Peterson as he starts to reshape the franchise.

Lee has been an NBA assistant for more than 10 years, most of that under Mike Budenholzer, first in Atlanta and then Milwaukee, where Lee was part of the 2021 NBA championship staff. When Budenholzer was fired from the Bucks last summer, the Celtics hired Lee as a lead assistant for Joe Mazzulla in Boston. Lee has interviewed for a number of NBA head coaching jobs, including with the Hornets back in 2021 (when the team was under different ownership and had a different front office).

Lee will be focused on player development to start, the Hornets are a rebuilding team that went 21-61 last season and hasn't made the playoffs since 2016. There is talent on the roster: LaMelo Ball is a dynamic point guard when he can stay healthy, and Brandon Miller impressed as a rookie and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. This is also a team focused on the future that traded away veterans this season — Terry Rozier and P.J. Washington — to focus more on that future.

That future is now in the hands of Lee.