The Boston Celtics clearly did something right.
Of course, everyone will point to the 2024 NBA championship banner, which will be raised on October 22, as the main proof of this fact, but the truth is much deeper. Boston has made the playoffs for 10 consecutive years, including six conference finals. Almost every other NBA team would like to claim that record.
And by the looks of it, another Eastern Conference team is trying to replicate Boston’s success. Not in terms of game plans or draft picks, but in a much more literal sense.
In the span of a year, the Charlotte Hornets have added a surprisingly long list of former Celtics to their roster. From players to coaches, green is slowly tinting their world with teal and purple.
Charles Lee is the most important of the group. Charlotte hired him to be their new head coach in the middle of Boston’s 2025 playoff run, and he’ll lead the charge for a young and hungry Hornets team.
He brought with him to Charlotte two former Celtics coaches: Blaine Mueller and Jermaine Bucknor.
Mueller has been by Lee’s side since his days as a head assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. Last year, Mueller was Maine Celtics head coachleading them to a spot in the G League Finals.
As for Bucknor, last season was his first year as an NBA coach. Before that, he had a long and legendary career with Trier, a professional team in Germany. By the time he left, Bucknor had played for the organization twice, coached them, and had his number retired and plastered on the field.
The ties between the Hornets and Celtics don’t end there.
Grant Williams was traded to the Hornets midway through last season after starting the season with the Dallas Mavericks. He spent the first four years of his career with the Celtics.
And while he’s best known for his time with the Hornets, Kemba Walker also wore the green and white at one point. He joined Charlotte this summer as a player development coach.
Add in former Hornets players like Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, Brad Wanamaker and Isaiah Thomas, all of whom played for the Celtics, and Charlotte has been recruiting former Boston players for years.
The Hornets certainly aren’t building their team with the idea of stealing from the Celtics, but the fact that they have so many connections means Boston is a testament to their continued success.
