Charlotte Hornets | |
---|---|
Position | Head coach |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Island Falls, Maine, U.S. | September 17, 1961
Career information | |
High school | North Country Union (Newport, Vermont) |
College | Maine–Farmington (1979–1983) |
Coaching career | 1983–present |
Career history | |
As coach: | |
1983–1985 | Woodland HS |
1985–1989 | Saint Anselm (assistant) |
1989–1990 | Fairfield (assistant) |
1990–1994 | Boston University (assistant) |
1994–1995 | Siena (assistant) |
1995–1999 | Adelphi |
1999–2000 | East Carolina (assistant) |
2001–2003 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
2003–2007 | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
2007–2012 | Orlando Magic (assistant) |
2012–2013 | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) |
2013–2018 | Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets |
2018–2021 | Orlando Magic |
2022–present | Charlotte Hornets |
Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
| |
Steven Gerald Clifford (born September 17, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach of the Orlando Magic.
Born in Island Falls, Maine, Clifford grew up in Mattawamkeag, Maine, until the third grade, when he moved to Vermont. [1] He played varsity basketball under Gerald Clifford, his father and head coach at North Country Union High School in Newport, Vermont. [2] [3]
Clifford attended the University of Maine at Farmington, where he played college basketball for four years. In his final two seasons, he was team captain and was named Best Defensive Player. He graduated with a degree in special education. [4]
After graduating from college, Clifford became a teacher at Woodland High School in Maine. He also gained his first coaching experience at the school, serving as their head coach for two seasons while leading them to two tournaments. [2] [5] He then served as an assistant coach at St. Anselm College, Fairfield University, Boston University and Siena College. In 1995, he assumed the head coaching duties at Adelphi University and coached for four seasons leading his team to four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, an 86–36 (.705) record and four consecutive 20-win seasons. He was the first coach in the school's history with back-to-back 20-plus win seasons. [5]
Clifford became an NBA assistant coach with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy and quickly developed a reputation as a defensive expert. He then was an assistant for Stan Van Gundy with the Orlando Magic. [2] He considers both the Van Gundy brothers as mentors. [6] He reached the NBA Playoffs in each of his five seasons with Orlando, appearing in the NBA Finals in 2009.
Clifford then joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012–13 as an assistant. [7]
On May 29, 2013, Clifford was hired by the Charlotte Bobcats to be their head coach. [8]
Clifford implemented a defensive mentality in Charlotte during his first year as head coach turning the Charlotte Bobcats into a top five defensive team when in the years prior to his tenure they ranked near the bottom of the NBA in that category. He led the Bobcats to the 2014 NBA playoffs in his first year as head coach, during which he coached the Bobcats to a 43–39 record. The two years prior to him joining the Bobcats only had a combined total of 28 wins. He was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for April 2014 after he led the Bobcats to a 7–1 record leading to the playoffs. He finished fourth in Coach of the Year voting in his first year. On December 6, 2017, it was announced that Clifford would not coach indefinitely to deal with his health issue. [9] [10] On January 11, 2018, the Hornets announced that Clifford was medically cleared to return to coaching [11] after a 21-game absence after dealing with sleep deprivation. [12] After the 2017–18 regular season, he was fired as head coach on April 13, 2018, after five seasons coaching the team to a 196–214 record total. [13]
On May 30, 2018, Clifford was named the head coach of the Orlando Magic. [14]
The Magic started the 2018–19 season by splitting their first 24 games before falling 11 games under .500 after a 126–117 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. [15] Despite the dismal start, Clifford led the Magic on a dramatic turnaround. On April 7, 2019, Orlando defeated the Boston Celtics 116–108 to clinch their first playoff berth since the 2011–12 season. [16] The win also clinched the Magic's first Southeast Division title since the 2009–10 season. This was the Magic's first playoff appearance since trading Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012, [17] ending the longest playoff drought in franchise history. [18]
On June 5, 2021, Clifford and the Magic decided to part ways. [19]
After the 2021–22 NBA season concluded, the Hornets re-hired Clifford as their head coach on June 24, 2022. [20]
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adelphi Panthers (New York Collegiate Athletic Conference)(1995–1999) | |||||||||
1995–96 | Adelphi | 23–7 | 17–5 | 2nd | NCAA D-II First Round | ||||
1996–97 | Adelphi | 21–9 | 17–5 | 3rd | NCAA D-II First Round | ||||
1997–98 | Adelphi | 22–8 | 18–4 | 3rd | NCAA D-II First Round | ||||
1998–99 | Adelphi | 20–12 | 14–8 | 3rd | NCAA D-II Sweet 16 | ||||
Adelphi University: | 86–36 (.705) | 66–22 | |||||||
Total: | 86–36 (.705) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion |
Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charlotte | 2013–14 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 3rd in Southeast | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | Lost in First round |
Charlotte | 2014–15 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 4th in Southeast | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Charlotte | 2015–16 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 3rd in Southeast | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in First round |
Charlotte | 2016–17 | 82 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 4th in Southeast | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Charlotte | 2017–18 | 82 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 3rd in Southeast | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Orlando | 2018–19 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 1st in Southeast | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in First round |
Orlando | 2019–20 | 73 | 33 | 40 | .452 | 2nd in Southeast | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in First round |
Orlando | 2020–21 | 72 | 21 | 51 | .292 | 5th in Southeast | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Charlotte | 2022–23 | 82 | 27 | 55 | .329 | 5th in Southeast | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Career | 719 | 319 | 400 | .444 | 21 | 5 | 16 | .238 |
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was established in 1989 as an expansion franchise, and such notable NBA stars as Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Nikola Vučević have played for the club throughout its history. As of 2021, the franchise has played in the NBA playoffs 16 times in 32 seasons, and twice went to the NBA Finals, in 1995 and 2009, losing to the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. Orlando has been the second most successful of the four expansion teams brought into the league in 1988 and 1989 in terms of winning percentage and playoff success, after the Miami Heat.
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte.
Dwight David Howard II is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Taoyuan Leopards of the T1 League. He began his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defensive Team member, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi "Emeka" Okafor is an American former professional basketball player. Okafor attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas and the University of Connecticut, where in 2004 he won a national championship. In his first season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2004–05, Okafor was named Rookie of the Year. He was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in 2009 and was then dealt to the Washington Wizards in 2012. However, a herniated disc in his neck caused Okafor to miss four consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2017 before being medically cleared to play.
Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who serves as assistant general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, where he was named national college player of the year in 2004. Drafted 20th overall in the 2004 NBA draft, Nelson spent the first ten years of his NBA career with the Orlando Magic. In 2009, he was named an All-Star and made an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Magic. He has also played for the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans and Detroit Pistons.
Stanley Alan Van Gundy is an American former basketball coach who is a television commentator for the NBA on TNT and College Basketball on CBS. Prior to TNT, Van Gundy was most recently the head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA. He also served as the head coach and president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons from 2014 to 2018. From 2003 to 2005, he was the head coach of the Miami Heat but resigned in 2005 mid-season, returning the job over to Pat Riley. Van Gundy then coached the Orlando Magic for five seasons from 2007 to 2012, leading them to the 2009 NBA Finals. He is the older brother of former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Robert C. Beyer is an American professional basketball coach who serves as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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The 2004–05 NBA season was the first season for the Charlotte Bobcats in the National Basketball Association. This season marked the return of NBA basketball to Charlotte after a two-year hiatus. The original Hornets had moved to New Orleans after the 2001–02 season to become the New Orleans Hornets, now the New Orleans Pelicans. The Bobcats had the second overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft, which they used to select Emeka Okafor out of the University of Connecticut. The team hired Bernie Bickerstaff as head coach during the offseason, and added veteran players like Gerald Wallace, Primož Brezec, Brevin Knight, Jason Hart, Jason Kapono, Melvin Ely and Steve Smith to their roster. The Bobcats played their first game at the Charlotte Coliseum on November 4, which was a 103–96 loss to the Washington Wizards. They would win their first game defeating the Orlando Magic 111–100 at home on November 6. However, the expansion team struggled losing ten straight games in January and March, finishing fourth in the Southeast Division with an 18–64 record. Okafor averaged 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocks per game and was named Rookie of The Year, and selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
The 2009–10 Orlando Magic season was the 21st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Magic were coming off of an NBA Finals defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. It was also the Magic's last season having the Amway Arena as their home arena. The Magic would match their record from last season. The Magic had the fourth best team offensive rating in the NBA.
Bismack Biyombo Sumba is a Congolese professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He began his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) where he was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings and subsequently traded to the Charlotte Bobcats. Biyombo has also played for the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and the Phoenix Suns.
The 2012–13 NBA season was the 67th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 30, 2012, when the 2011–12 NBA champions Miami Heat started the season by hosting the Boston Celtics. The 2013 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 17, 2013, at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The regular season ended on April 17, 2013, and the playoffs began on April 20, 2013 and ended on June 20, 2013, with the Miami Heat defeating the San Antonio Spurs in seven games to win the 2013 NBA Finals.
Troy Daniels is an American professional basketball player who last played for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where in 2013, he set the Atlantic 10 Conference record for made three-point field goals in a single game.
The history of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Hornets dates to 1985 when founder George Shinn first thought of bringing professional basketball to Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets commenced play as an expansion team in 1988. After fourteen seasons under its original ownership, the franchise suspended operations in 2002 when Shinn transferred the basketball organization under his control to a new franchise in New Orleans. The Charlotte franchise was subsequently acquired, reactivated and renamed the Bobcats by Robert L. Johnson. After restocking its roster through their second expansion draft, the team resumed play in 2004. Johnson sold controlling interest to Hall of Fame legend and North Carolinian native Michael Jordan in 2010. Jordan, who restored the club's original name in 2014, sold the team to group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin in 2023. The franchise has reached the postseason twelve times and made ten playoff appearances, although as of 2023 they are the oldest club in all of North American major professional sports to have never won a division championship.
The 2017–18 Charlotte Hornets season was the 28th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the fifth season under head coach Steve Clifford. It was also the last season where Rich Cho is the general manager for the Hornets and the last where Steve Clifford is the head coach, as well as Mitch Kupchak's first year with Charlotte.
The 2018–19 NBA season was the 73rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 16, 2018, and ended on April 10, 2019. The 2019 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 17, 2019, at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The playoffs began on April 13, 2019 and ended on June 13 with the Toronto Raptors defeating the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals, becoming NBA champions for the first time in franchise history, the first team based outside the United States to win the NBA title, and the first team in NBA history to win a championship without a single lottery pick on the roster. This season would mark the first time since 2010 in which LeBron James did not make a Finals appearance. This would also be the final season for Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Dwyane Wade. This was the last NBA season to play in a regular 82-game season from mid-October to mid-April until the 2021–22 NBA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic that took place during the following two seasons.
The 2018–19 Charlotte Hornets season was the 29th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). On April 13, 2018, the Hornets fired head coach Steve Clifford after the team missed the playoffs. On May 10, 2018, the Hornets hired James Borrego as head coach. This season is notable because the team is celebrating their 30th year in the NBA, also announcing that Muggsy Bogues and Dell Curry would be ambassadors for the team. With a Detroit Pistons win on April 10, against the New York Knicks, the Hornets were eliminated from playoff contention for the third straight season.
With the win, Orlando ended the longest play-off drought in franchise history.