Hornets Coach Charles Lee 'Emotional' After Zach Peterson Takes Greensboro Job

The Greensboro Swarm, the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, hired Zach Peterson as their new head coach.

And Hornets head coach Charles Lee is "emotional" about it. 

“I get a little emotional watching and being a part of this great day,” Lee said. “[Zach] cares so much about the players. He’s invested in their success, growth and development. He’s also really aware of who he works with and how he can help them be better and support them. Now, on this journey, he’s going to lead an organization. I think this is another area for him to grow, find his voice and impart wisdom on these young players.”

When Lee accepted the Hornets’ head coaching job in May of 2024, he knew right away that he wanted Peterson to come aboard as a member of his staff.

Lee and Peterson worked together on the Atlanta Hawks. 

“Work ethic, who he was as a human being,” Lee said. “I just loved that he was a very humble person, very curious, very knowledgeable. Nothing was beneath him. He wanted to be able to help and support every workout that was on the court, every project that went on behind the scenes. He wanted to just know how he could learn, grow, how he could be a part and help. That really stood out to me. To watch him go from the video room to a head video coordinator to an assistant coach, he just continues to get better.

“Over the past two years, Zach has been our Director of Player Development. Part of that job is setting up the daily schedule and making sure that we are all moving in the right direction. Another piece of that is having to collaborate with a lot of different groups – the performance staff, the front office, the coaching staff – and then cluing me in. He’s also responsible for putting together player development plans. He does a ton of research in terms of analytics and film study. He gets with all the assistant coaches to get feedback on where he thinks players are. Then, he comes up with the plans and a lot of times, I just get to co-sign it.”

Ever since President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson and Lee joined the organization, the Hornets have utilized their G League franchise as much as any team in the NBA.

Players like Moussa Diabate, Tidjane Salaün, Liam McNeeley and P.J. Hall have all taken advantage of the developmental reps that Greensboro has allotted them over the past two years.

The Swarm are coming off its first-ever G League title in franchise history. There’s no question that a strong standard has been set in Greensboro and expectations are rightfully high.

“It’s been really important to develop culture and standards not only with the Hornets, but also the Swarm," Lee said. "I’m extremely excited for ZP (Peterson) to continue laying that foundation, building upon it, elevating it and enhancing everything that we do. I truly believe the Swarm has been a great developmental ground not only for our players, but our coaching staff, as well. This is a great opportunity for ZP. Everything that he has done up to this point proves that he’s ready to be a head coach. So, I know he’s going to do a great job. We’re glad to be here to continue to support him on this next phase of his journey.”