Before Charles Lee was drawing up plays as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, before he was mentoring pros and leading from the sidelines, he was just a kid trying to figure out where his passion truly lived.
Spoiler alert: It wasn’t always basketball.
“I probably started falling in love with the game even more when I got into high school, you know?” Lee told me. “I played both football and basketball for the longest time. I was a little bit more football-bound. But then in high school, my mindset wasn’t quite football—having to get hit and delivering the hit all the time. So, I started transitioning into basketball and just completely fell in love with it.”
For Lee, the shift wasn’t just about picking a sport—it was about finding his purpose.
“I loved watching it on TV, and I had a lot of different influences. But I would say one coach in particular really helped me and showed me that I could even play college basketball or professional basketball, and that was my high school coach Paul Foringer at Quince Orchard High School,” he said. “When you’re in love with the game, you’re putting in the extra work, but you’re not really sure if you can go to the next level and do it. It’s like a dream. And I feel like he really helped mentor me—helped me get there and play Division I basketball and then so on and so forth. And then after that, there’s been a ton of influences.”
Football Roots: A Swiss Army Knife on the Field
Before basketball took over, Lee was making noise on the football field, playing just about every position that required skill, speed, and a high IQ.
“I was a running back. I was a tight end. I was a defensive back, a cornerback, second-string quarterback… so I could play all the skill positions and stuff,” he said.
A multi-positional athlete, Lee had options. But basketball had his heart, and once he made the pivot, there was no looking back.
Charlotte Hornets Fandom: Starter Jackets & Grandmama
Now, when it comes to his earliest memories of the Charlotte Hornets, Lee takes it all the way back to the ‘90s—an era defined by flashy jerseys, electric highlights, and a franchise that had the culture in a chokehold.
“I would say watching Grandmama or seeing the highlights of Grandmama… getting the Starter jackets that were the coolest colors, and that was probably my intro to Charlotte Hornets basketball,” he said.
And if you know, you know—Larry Johnson’s “Grandmama” persona wasn’t just a marketing gimmick, it was an entire moment in basketball history. But Lee’s Hornets nostalgia runs even deeper.
“Muggsy Bogues, Alonzo Mourning, Jamal Mashburn… so there were a ton of guys. Dell Curry—I saw some highlights of him in the three-point contest and stuff like that,” he recalled.
Fast forward to today and Lee isn’t just a fan of the Hornets—he’s their leader. From his early days grinding on the high school courts to coaching at the highest level, his journey is a testament to passion, hard work, and taking the leap when the opportunity presents itself.
Now, it’s his turn to make his own mark in Charlotte, just like the legends he grew up watching.
Stay tuned—Coach Lee’s just getting started.
