Inside The Celtics

Hornets Hire Celtics Assistant Charles Lee as New Head Coach

Bobby Krivitsky

Dec 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and assistant coach Charles Lee.
Dec 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and assistant coach Charles Lee. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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In Joe Mazzulla's first opportunity to fill out his Celtics coaching staff, he built one of the NBA's best, hiring two of the league's top assistant coaches, Charles Lee and Sam Cassell.

It was more likely than not that Lee, Mazzulla's lead assistant, would join the latter as one of the 30 NBA bench bosses next season.

After nearly becoming the head coach of the Detroit Pistons last summer before they made one final, successful push to hire Monty Williams, Lee will now get his well-deserved opportunity to move to the one chair.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hornets are hiring the 39-year-old as their new head coach, replacing Steve Clifford.

Lee, who's signing a four-year deal to relocate to the Queen City, reunites with the franchise's executive vice president of Basketball Operations, Jeff Peterson, and team governor, Rick Schnall, both of whom were with the Hawks while he was on Mike Budenholzer's staff in Atlanta.

Lee, who also worked as an equity trader on Wall Street, was on Budenholzer's coaching staff with the Bucks when they won the NBA title in 2021.

In Charlotte, he inherits a promising young core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams. The Hornets will also have a top pick in this year's draft.

They finished the regular season tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for the third-worst record in the league (21-61). They have a 50.3% chance of getting a top-three selection and a 13.3% chance of landing the first overall pick.

Per Wojnarowski, Lee will remain with the Celtics as they try to complete their championship run before moving into his new job full-time.

Further Reading

Shooting Struggles Not Preventing Jayson Tatum from Positive Impact: 'They'll Fall'

Derrick White Discusses Joining Elite Company in Game 1 Win vs. Cavaliers

Jaylen Brown Leads Celtics to Tone-Setting Win in Game 1 vs. Cavaliers

Celtics Detail Challenge of Containing Donovan Mitchell: 'No Friends in the Playoffs'

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Target Date to Rejoin Celtics' Playoff Run: 'Doing Everything I Can'

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Bobby Krivitsky

BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.