ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic announced Wednesday that it has hired Steve Clifford as the team's new head coach.
The Magic have signed Clifford, 56, to a four-year contract, ESPN reported.
Clifford coached the Charlotte Hornets to a 196-214 record from 2013-2018, leading the team to two playoff appearances.Â
Clifford was an assistant coach for the Magic from 2007 to 2012 when Stan Van Gundy was the team's head coach.
“We are very excited to welcome Steve back into the Magic family," Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. "Steve is widely regarded throughout the NBA community as an elite coach and developer of players at all stages. His teams have always been disciplined and prepared and have embraced the concept of playing for each other.”
Clifford, the team's fifth head coach in the past seven years, replaces Frank Vogel, who was fired after the Magic's recent 25-57 season.
The Magic have not had a winning record over the last six seasons.
Before going to Orlando as an assistant, Clifford spent four seasons as an assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy with the Houston Rockets from 2003-07. He began his NBA career with the New York Knicks, serving as the team’s advance scout in 2000-01 before moving to the bench as an assistant coach from 2001-03.
Prior to the NBA, Clifford spent 15 years coaching at the collegiate level, including four years as head coach at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York from 1995-99. He posted a record of 86-36 (.705) at Adelphi.
Clifford began his college coaching career at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, where he spent four seasons as an assistant coach. He then served as an assistant coach for one year at Fairfield University, four seasons at Boston University and one season at Siena University before becoming the head coach at Adelphi. Clifford also spent one season as an assistant coach at East Carolina University in 1999-2000 before moving to the NBA.
Clifford’s first coaching experience came at Woodland High School in Maine, where he coached for two seasons after graduating from the University of Maine at Farmington with a degree in special education.
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