New York Knicks Ex Steve Clifford Stepping Down as Charlotte Hornets Head Coach

Former New York Knicks assistant Steve Clifford will step down as the Charlotte Hornets' head coach at the end of the season.

A former New York Knicks assistant is stepping down for his head coaching post.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford will transition to a front office role after the final seven games of the season. Clifford was an assistant coach for the Knicks from 2001-03 under Jeff Van Gundy and Don Chaney before joining the former when he accepted the Houston Rockets' head coaching job in 2003-04.

Mar 23, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford on the sideline

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Clifford was in the midst of his second season of his second stint with the Hornets, amassing a 45-102 record in that span, including 18-57 this time around. Charlotte will the postseason for the eighth straight season, extending the NBA's longest active drought. A search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Following his time with the Knicks, Clifford bounced around the league as an assistant for a few more years with the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers before becoming the head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2013. Clifford put up a 188-214 record in his first stint at the helm of the Bobcats/Hornets (2013-18) and guided the team to a franchise-record 48 wins during the 2015-16 season. Despite his lack of success, Clifford stands as the all-time winningest coach in Hornets history.

Clifford returned to Orlando for three seasons (2019-21) in the top spot, reaching the playoffs twice but never getting past the first round. In addition to his time at the helm of Charlotte and Orlando, Clifford also led Division II Adelphi on Long Islan for four seasons, earning two conference titles.

Wojnarowski's report mentioned that Hornets management wanted Clifford back on the bench for another year but the latter "wasn't prepared to commit to the year-round grind of head coaching." The move will thus likely end a lengthy NBA coaching career that began with the Knicks at the turn of the century.

The Knicks are back in action tomorrow at home against the Sacramento Kings (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).