James Borrego (born November 12, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach who most recently served as the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association.

Early life and playing career

Borrego was born on November 12, 1977, in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is of Mexican American descent. He played three seasons with the

San Diego Toreros The San Diego Toreros are the 17 teams representing the University of San Diego of San Diego, California in intercollegiate athletics. The Toreros compete in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate At ...

, and during his senior season (2000–01) was named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team.

Coaching career

Borrego began his coaching career with his alma mater, University of San Diego, as an assistant from 2001 to 2003. During his tenure, San Diego captured the West Coast Conference Championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament in the 2002–2003 season. After his coaching stay with the Toreros, Borrego began in 2003 his career in professional basketball with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

, starting as an assistant video coordinator in the summer of 2003 and being promoted to assistant coach afterwards. He spent seven seasons with the Spurs, being part of two NBA championship teams in 2005 and 2007 before leaving the team to join former Spurs' assistant Monty Williams when he took the head coach job with the

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from 2010 until 2012. Afterwards, he joined

Jacque Vaughn Jacque T. Vaughn (born February 11, 1975) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He serves as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Playing career High school A native of Pasadena ...

as the lead assistant for the Orlando Magic. He took over the Magic when Vaughn was fired on February 5, 2015. On February 6, he made his coaching debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 103–97 in overtime. On February 17, he became the coach of the team for the rest of the season. On June 17, 2015, he returned to the Spurs as an assistant coach for

Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball coach and executive who is the president and head coach of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Taking over as coach of the Spur ...

. On May 10, 2018, the Charlotte Hornets named Borrego as their new head coach, signing him to a four-year deal with the team. Borrego became the first Latino head coach in the NBA's 72-year history. On April 22, 2022, Borrego was fired by the Hornets.

Personal life

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Borrego led

Albuquerque Academy Albuquerque Academy is an independent, co-educational day school for grades 6-12 located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest

to a pair of state championships. In 2001, he earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in leadership studies from the University of San Diego. He and his wife have a daughter and two sons.

Head coaching record

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Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

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References

External links

College playing statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borrego, James 1977 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Mexican descent Basketball coaches from New Mexico Basketball players from Albuquerque, New Mexico Charlotte Hornets head coaches Forwards (basketball) New Orleans Hornets assistant coaches Orlando Magic assistant coaches Orlando Magic head coaches San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches San Diego Toreros men's basketball coaches San Diego Toreros men's basketball players