CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets are officially in the Charles Lee era with the introduction of the championship-winning assistant as the team's newest head coach.
Lee was introduced during a news conference in South End Charlotte on Tuesday. Team leaders and Lee are adamant about pushing the team to the top of the NBA.
"We have a very good team," Lee said. "We've been snakebitten by injuries but I'm looking forward to this talent-rich group doing everything they can to be healthy... This group is focused on the right things... We're going to compete every night."
Lee joins the Hornets after spending 10 years as an NBA assistant with the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. He won two titles as an assistant, one with Milwaukee in 2021 and one with Boston just a week ago.
Before taking the Hornets job, Lee interviewed for other head coaching positions but was not hired until Charlotte extended an offer.
"People always told me 'the right one will happen at the right time,'" Lee said. "I fully believe this is the right job at the right time, for me, my family, and this organization."
The Hornets announced Lee was hired as their next head coach in early May. He could not officially join the Hornets because of the Celtics' postseason run but was excited to join the team after Boston captured its 18th NBA title.
Lee is the 12th head coach in franchise history. He follows the tenure of Steve Clifford, the winningest coach in franchise history. Clifford resigned from his position at the end of the 2023-24 season, which saw the Hornets finish with an abysmal 21-61 record.
Despite the bad record, Charlotte saw promising performances from Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges. LaMelo Ball, Charlotte's all-star player, missed 60 games due to injuries. Lee is hopeful that Ball and Miller can become superstars and help push the Hornets to postseason success.
Charlotte has not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.
Lee's next big move as head coach comes just one day after his introduction. The NBA Draft begins on Wednesday. Charlotte holds the sixth and 42nd overall picks.