Hornets Fire Coach James Borrego

The Hornets have fired coach James Borrego. The team announced the move on Friday afternoon, after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on Friday morning.

“I want to thank JB for his hard work and commitment during these past four seasons,” Hornets president and general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. “Beyond his work as a coach, he is a tremendous person. I wish him and his family the best in the future. These decisions are always difficult. Having said that, we have a talented, young core of players which has me very excited about the future of the Hornets. We will begin the search for our new head coach immediately.” 

Borrego led the team for four seasons, finishing with a 148–183 record. The 2021–22 season was his best with Charlotte, going 43–39. The team entered the postseason play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, falling to No. 9 Atlanta 132–103 and eliminating the Hornets from playoff contention.

It was the team’s second straight play-in tournament berth as the No. 10 seed. In 2021, the team was blown out by the Pacers in its first game.

The fact that both seasons ended in blowout play-in tournament losses “appears to have negated regular-season win improvement and player development among Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball and previously Devonte Graham,” Wojnarowski added on Twitter, calling the move “surprising.”

Borrego previously served as interim head coach of the Magic in 2015, going 10–20. He has been an NBA assistant since ’03, when he joined Gregg Popovich’s Spurs staff.

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