Hornets extend Charles Lee after 25-win turnaround and best season since 2015-16

Charles Lee just turned a 19-win first season into a long-term job. The Hornets gave their second-year head coach a multi-year extension Thursday after a 44-38 finish — Charlotte's best regular-season record since 2015-16, and one win shy of snapping the franchise's eight-year playoff drought.

The numbers behind the leap are absurd. From January 1 to the end of the regular season, Charlotte had the best net rating in the entire NBA (+10.5), with the No. 1 offensive rating (120.7) and the No. 5 defense (110.2) over that stretch. Lee built it on top of LaMelo Ball's first fully healthy year in three seasons, plus the development of Brandon Miller — whose offseason just got worse with a second left-shoulder surgery.

GM Jeff Peterson cited "a team-first culture rooted in accountability" in the team's release. Lee was originally hired in 2024 on a four-year deal to replace Steve Clifford; the extension keeps him in Charlotte through at least 2029. After a decade of front-office churn, the Hornets are betting on continuity for the first time in a long time.