Hornets hire Celtics assistant Lee as head coach

The Charlotte Hornets are hiring Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee to take over as their new head coach, the team announced Thursday.

The first-time head coach is signing a four-year deal with the franchise, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Lee is in the midst of his first season with the Celtics and will finish the team's playoff run before taking over his new squad, Wojnarowski adds.

Prior to his season in Boston, Lee spent his entire NBA coaching career with Mike Budenholzer between the Atlanta Hawks from 2014-18 and the Milwaukee Bucks from 2018-23.

"Charles possesses a championship pedigree with a wide range of basketball knowledge and NBA experience, has a tremendous work ethic, and is a great communicator," executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said in a statement.

Lee's teams have accumulated an impressive 510-291 record with him on the staff, reaching the playoffs in nine of his 10 seasons. His squads have finished with the best record in the NBA in four of the last six seasons.

"The opportunity to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets is a dream come true," Lee said. "The Hornets have a talented young core of players, and I'm excited about our future and what we can build here."

Before his time in coaching, Lee played four seasons at Bucknell, where he won the Patriot League's Player of the Year in his senior campaign. He went on to play four seasons in Europe.