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Steve Clifford to leave Hornets, join Phoenix Suns as coaching advisor

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Matt Alquiza | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 12:38 PM ET

After nine non-consecutive seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and Bobcats, Steve Clifford has decided to go west.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Phoenix Suns have hired Clifford as a coaching advisor. The boisterous former head coach in Charlotte has been working in the NBA since he joined Jeff Van Gundy's bench in New York in 2001, with all 24 of those years (save for a one year hiatus in 2021) but the most recent one on the sideline.

Clifford leaves Charlotte as a franchise icon

The modern day Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats were their most successful under Clifford's tutelage.

In his first season as the head coach of the Bobcats (2013), Clifford captained Charlotte to their first playoff berth since 2010. His most successful season as the head coach in the Queen City came in 2015-16 when Clifford leaned on Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson to 48 wins, the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and a seven-game bout against the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

Clifford is famous for his stifling defense. During his first four seasons in charge of the operation in Charlotte, his teams boasted an above-average defense per net rating each year.

Although the team was largely unsuccessful in his second stint in Charlotte (2022-2024), Clifford sheparded the franchise through murky waters that were roughed up by front office changes, nagging injuries, and an ownership change, providing steady guidance through it all.

Last season, Clifford stuck around the Hornets' organization in a front office role and could be found chopping it up courtside nightly with opposing scouts, executives, and players, showing a personable side that rarely flashed during his overtly blunt press conferences and fiery on-court moments.

Clifford joins Chris Jent as the second influential voice in Charlotte's front office and coaching staff to depart this summer. After winning the Summer League championship with the Hornets, Jent agreed to join Mike Brown's staff in New York, becoming the lead assist for the newly appointed head coach.

The move west continues a string of transactions between Charlotte and Phoenix, and one can only wonder what swap is to come between the two franchises.