NBA Players Have Mad Respect for Charles Lee, Voting Shows in Anonymous Poll

The head Hornet turned heads with the way he led this past season.

Apr 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee reacts during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

One of the best stories in the NBA this season was without question the Charlotte Hornets.

They improved their win total by 25 from last season and had their best season in a decade despite being a dozen games under .500 nearly halfway through the year. Down the final two to three months of the regular season, they were statistically one of the best and most dominant teams in the NBA.

Recently, The Athletic released the results of its anonymous NBA player poll, including one question that asked: “Which current coach, aside from your own, do you find the most impressive?”

Hornets head coach Charles Lee garnered the seventh-most responses, trailing only Joe Mazzulla (BOS), Mark Daigneault (OKC), J.B. Bickerstaff (DET), Erik Spoelstra (MIA), Jordan Ott (PHO), and Mitch Johnson (SAS).

Lee set the standard and changed the culture

From the moment he first sat in front of a microphone as the Hornets' head coach, you could tell how much this opportunity meant to him. He's passionate, focused, and has a clear vision for what he wants this thing to look like. There is no guessing as to what the identity is, how practices will be conducted, or what will/won't be tolerated.

James Borrego was hyper-focused on the X's and O's, and Steve Clifford had an incredible amount of bad luck with injuries. The one thing that Lee brings to the organization is the ability to relate to the players, being that he is younger and coaches with energy. Relationships with the players are important to him, and it's easy to tell how much his guys respect him. They take hard criticism well, buy-in, and celebrate big moments with him, as we saw in the locker room after they beat Miami in the Play-In Tournament.

He never had a chance in year one

The 2024-25 campaign was challenging due to the injuries of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, not to mention the drama at the trade deadline surrounding Mark Williams. It was not a winning environment, yet fans were frustrated. All he needed was time and a healthy roster to prove he is indeed the right guy for the job.

He comes from a winning background, having spent time on Mike Budenholzer's staff in Atlanta and Milwaukee, and then on Joe Mazzulla's staff in Boston. He's seen what it takes to win a title, having done so twice, so it's no surprise to see the Hornets take a massive leap in just his second year on the job, ultimately leading to a contract extension on Thursday.

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