Boston Celtics top assistant coach Charles Lee is a finalist for the head coaching position for the Charlotte Hornets.
Lee has been coaching on NBA sidelines since 2014 when he first got started with the Atlanta Hawks under then head coach Mike Budenholzer.
When Budenholzer and the Hawks agreed to part ways and he became the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018, he brought Lee with him as an assistant coach.
Lee elevated to become the top assistant coach in Milwaukee when David Ham left to become the head coach of the Lakers in 2022.
In June of 2023, Lee was hired by the Celtics to be the associate head coach, or top assistant, to Joe Mazzulla.
Lee was a finalist for multiple head coaching jobs last year, for both Detroit and Toronto, in addition to other top assistant positions before signing with Boston.
It’s always seemed like Lee wasn’t going to be in Boston for long, largely due to him wanting to be a head coach and going on interviews for a couple of years now.
This isn’t the first time the Celtics have had an assistant coach become a head coach. Just last year, Damon Stoudamire accepted a job at Georgia Tech, forcing him to leave the Celtics in the middle of the season. Although it wasn’t ideal, it was understandable.
It’s a sign of a great team if assistant coaches are becoming head coaches on other teams. If Lee becomes the head coach of the Hornets, chances are we’ll see Sam Cassell start to get more shine as a potential head coach in the future, also. It’s the way it is.
If Lee accepts the job and is forced to leave the Celtics in the middle of this playoff run, it will be a huge loss for this team.
Charlotte has named JJ Redick as the other finalist for the position.
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One response to “Celtics top assistant is a finalist to become next head coach of the Charlotte Hornets”
[…] Charles Lee agreed to a four-year deal to become the next head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. He will remain with the Celtics through this playoff as Boston’s top assistant. This is the second straight season a Celtics assistant coach lands a head coaching gig during the season (Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech). […]
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