The Charlotte Hornets have given head coach Charles Lee a contract extension after the club recorded a 25-game improvement and narrowly missed ending the NBA’s longest active playoff drought, the team announced Thursday.
Specific terms were not disclosed, but the agreement keeps Lee in charge following a season in which Charlotte jumped from 19 to 44 victories. The Hornets finished 4-14 out of the gate while dealing with early injuries, then turned the season around by going 33-15 after Jan. 2.
“Charles has done an outstanding job establishing a foundation for who we want to be as a team,” general manager Jeff Peterson said in a statement. “He and his staff have prioritized player development and created a culture rooted in accountability, hard work and professionalism. I’m excited to keep building the Hornets for long-term success.”
Charlotte fell one win short of the postseason, losing to the Orlando Magic in the second Eastern Conference play-in game. The defeat extended the franchise’s playoff absence to 10 seasons, the longest current streak in the league.
Lee, 41, just completed his second season as an NBA head coach. He captured his first Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award in January after guiding the Hornets to an 11-6 record and tying an NBA record for the best single-month road point differential at plus-151.
Source: ESPN
