The Charlotte Hornets will be in the market for a new head coach this offseason.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hornets have been informed that head coach Steve Clifford will step down from his role at the end of the regular season.
Clifford will transition into a front office role with the Hornets. He has already informed his assistants and players about his decision.
“Charlotte’s new EVP of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson and co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin were open to bringing back him as coach next season, but Clifford, 62, decided he wasn’t prepared to commit to the year-round grind of head coaching for the 2024-2025 season,” Wojnarowski said.
Clifford has been coaching in the NBA since 2001. He first started with the New York Knicks and then had stints with the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers.
Clifford coached Charlotte from 2013-2018 before becoming the head coach of the Orlando Magic. He then returned to the Hornets in 2022.
As of right now, Clifford has a career record of 337-457.
Wojnarowski has already mentioned some potential replacements for Clifford, such as Jordi Fernandez of the Sacramento Kings and Charles Lee of the Boston Celtics.