Steve Clifford to step down as the Hornets head coach at end of the season

According to Steve Reed of the Associated Press on Wednesday, Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford of Island Falls, Maine will resign at the end of the 2023-24 National Basketball Association regular season. Clifford has spent the last two seasons coaching the Hornets and seven seasons overall. He also previously coached three seasons with the Orlando Magic from 2019 to 2021.

During Clifford’s time coaching Charlotte, he coached the Charlotte Bobcats and Charlotte Hornets. He was with the Bobcats in 2013-14, and the Hornets from 2014 to 2018.

Clifford has not been all that successful as a head coach. In 795 regular season gams, he has a record of 337 wins and 458 losses for a winning percentage of .424.

However on four occasions Clifford has guided his team to the postseason. In 2014, the Bobcats were playoff bound with a record of 43 wins and 39 losses. In 2016, the Hornets made the playoffs with a record of 48 wins and 34 losses. In 2019, the Magic made the playoffs with a record of 42 wins and 40 losses, and in 2020, the Magic were postseason bound in the Orlando bubble despite being seven games below the .500 mark at 33 wins and 40 losses. The Magic did not play a complete season that year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This season, the Hornets have been out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture for a while. They are at 18 wins and 58 losses, and only ahead of the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons. The Wizards are at 15 wins and 62 losses, while the Pistons are at 13 wins and 63 losses.

Charlotte has only won once in their last 10 games. They upset the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-111 on March 27.

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