Hornets' Steve Clifford Finalizing Transition to Front Office Role After Season, per Report

Patrick Andres | Apr 3, 2024

Mar 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

After two unsuccessful seasons, coach Steve Clifford's second stint with the Charlotte Hornets is reportedly over.

Clifford intends to step down as the Hornets' coach upon the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, according to a Wednesday morning report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Per Wojnarowski, Clifford is "working to finalize a front office role with the franchise" and "informed his assistants and players on Wednesday morning."

Charlotte is 18-57 this season, 13th in the Eastern Conference and 17 games behind the 10th-place Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in tournament spot. The Hornets are 45-112 in the last two seasons under Clifford.

That contrasts with his first stint with Charlotte, in which he steered the team to the playoffs in 2014 and 2016. He also led the Orlando Magic to playoff berths in 2019 and 2020.

ESPN Sources: Steve Clifford is stepping down as the Charlotte Hornets’ coach at the end of the season and working to finalize a front office role with the franchise. Clifford informed his assistants and players on Wednesday morning. pic.twitter.com/b8ADCn4gFO

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 3, 2024

Clifford, an NBA lifer whose professional coaching career began as a New York Knicks assistant in 2001 after over a decade in the college ranks, has a career record of 337-457.