Before becoming the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, Charles Lee had to discover his true passion—one that didn’t initially lie with basketball.
Lee spent his early years playing both football and basketball, but it wasn’t until high school that he realized basketball was where his heart truly belonged.
“I probably started falling in love with the game even more when I got into high school,” Lee said in an interview with NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “I was a little bit more football-bound. But then I started transitioning into basketball and just completely fell in love with it.”
The decision to shift focus wasn’t easy. For Lee, it was about more than just sports—it was about finding his purpose.
He credits his high school coach, Paul Foringer, with inspiring him to pursue his dreams of playing at a higher level. “He really helped mentor me—helped me get there and play Division I basketball,” Lee shared.
Lee’s basketball journey at Bucknell was nothing short of impressive. He was named the 2006 Patriot League Player of the Year, leading the Bison to back-to-back Patriot League Championships.
Over his four years at Bucknell, Lee was a standout player, earning First Team All-Patriot League honors twice and Second Team honors once. His career totals of 1,147 points, 568 rebounds, and 167 steals solidified his legacy.
Despite his success, Lee faced financial challenges during college, as Bucknell didn’t offer athletic scholarships at the time. He played through partial financial aid, but his skills spoke for themselves, earning him recognition as one of the league’s top nonscholarship players.
After graduating in 2006, Lee had a brief stint with the San Antonio Spurs during their summer league and preseason. While he didn’t make the regular season roster, Lee’s professional career took him to several international teams, including Hapoel Gilboa/Afula in Israel, Verviers-Pepinster in Belgium, and MEG Goettingen in Germany.
Upon retiring from playing, Lee transitioned to a career in finance, working for Merrill Lynch. However, his passion for basketball never faded, leading him back to coaching in 2012 when Bucknell hired him as an assistant coach.
Lee’s coaching career accelerated when he joined the Atlanta Hawks in 2014 as an assistant under head coach Mike Budenholzer. After Budenholzer moved to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018, Lee followed, where he would rise through the ranks to become the Bucks’ associate head coach in 2022.
Lee continued to make an impact as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics, but in 2024, he earned his first head coaching role with the Charlotte Hornets.
Currently, the Hornets are working to rebuild with Lee at the helm, standing at 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 14-39 record.
