Hornets make decision on head coach James Borrego

Mar 2, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego reacts in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Hornets saw their season end in disappointing fashion when they lost their play-in tournament game against the Atlanta Hawks, and they are now making a major change.

Hornets head coach James Borrego has been fired, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

The move is somewhat of a surprise. Borrego just finished his fourth season as the head coach in Charlotte, and the team has improved significantly over the past two years. The Hornets finished above .500 this year for the first time since the 2015-16 season. They qualified for the play-in tournament the past two years, though they did not advance in either.

Borrego finishes with a record of 138-163 in Charlotte. The 44-year-old spent many years as an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich’s staff. He was part of two NBA champion teams with the San Antonio Spurs.