5 things to know about Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee
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Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee during the NBA Draft. Photo: Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images
The Charlotte Hornets hired Charles Lee in May as the team's 12th head coach.
Why it matters: The 39-year-old brings energy and enthusiasm and he knows what it's like to win as an assistant, most recently with the Boston Celtics, who are the 2024 NBA champs. It's time to see what the first-time NBA head coach can do with a franchise that's in a playoff drought.
Zoom out: Lee has been in this league for years. Now it's his moment, from overseeing smaller day-to-day tasks to choosing the starting lineup.
- "The exciting part about it is I get to do these things finally as the head coach," he told reporters during media day, "and I get to do it as the head coach of the Hornets, which is really exciting."
We talked with Lee about life away from basketball. Here are five things to know about the Hornets' new head coach before the team tips off on Oct. 23 in Houston.
- They play the Rockets at 8pm. The game will air on FanDuel Sports Network.
Family time is precious
"When I'm not coaching, I'm just a big family man," Lee says.
- When your job requires 82 regular season games, every moment with your loved ones matters.
- That can be making breakfast for his family in the morning or getting their snacks set.
He may coach in the NBA, but he's a soccer dad
Lee and his wife, Lindsey, have three daughters: Corinne, Vivian and Josephine, who are 10 years old (fifth grade), 8 (third grade) and 6 (kindergarten).
- The girls play soccer for Charlotte Soccer Academy. So when he's not at the gym, he's at one of their soccer games or getting the girls to practice.
He's an early riser
While his alarm goes off at 6:15am, he'll probably hit the snooze button at least once.
- Then he'll get the kids ready and fed. They try to get out the door between 7:15–7:30am.
- He'll get a workout in after practice. He used to be big into weightlifting and now he's trying to mix in more cardio. He and Matt Tuttle, the team's director of sports medicine, have been breaking out boxing mitts and hitting boxing pads.
- "I need variety," he says. "I can't do the same workout every day."
Date nights matter
It's important to get a sitter and take his wife out on the town, Lee says.
- "She is the one that allows me to go out and live out my dream every day because she does such a phenomenal job with our kids and our [home]," Lee says.
- They're big fans of Flour Shop in Park Road Shopping Center. He describes himself as a "big foodie," and he wants to experience more restaurants in Charlotte.
- Thankfully, we have a pretty good place for him to start.
He's a country music fan
One of their date nights was a Dan + Shay concert at PNC Music Pavilion. They went with a bunch of other couples and rented a Sprinter van.
- "That's probably one of the funnest nights that we've had so far in Charlotte," Lee says.
Go deeper: Everything you need to know before the 2024-2025 Charlotte Hornets' season