The Charlotte Hornets are the latest NBA team to fill their head coaching vacancy. A little less than a month after the team decided to part ways with Steve Clifford, a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicates that Charlotte has tabbed Spurs assistant James Borrego as his successor. Wojnarowski announced the news on his Twitter account.
Spurs assistant James Borrego is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2018
Borrego is only 40, but has packed a ton of experience into his coaching career. He joined the San Antonio Spurs’ staff in 2003 when he was 26 and became an assistant coach one year later. Additionally, Borrego has been an assistant coach for the then-New Orleans Hornets and the Orlando Magic before returning to San Antonio in 2015.
Borrego is best known for his time in Orlando, as he became the team’s interim head coach in 2015 following the firing of Jacque Vaughn. While the team ended the season with a 25-57 record, 10 of those wins came in the 30 games that saw Borrego as the Magic’s head coach.
The Hornets have gone through a major rebuild this offseason when it comes to its front office and its coaching staff. In addition to replacing Clifford with Borrego, Charlotte hired former Lakers executive Mitch Kupchak to serve as its general manager and president of basketball operations.
