Former Chicago Bull Joins Charlotte Hornets

A former Chicago Bulls assistant coach will be with the Charlotte Hornets next season, according to NBA insider Mike Scotto. 

The Hornets signed John Bryant to be one of the assistant coaches of Charles Lee in Charlotte for next season. 

Former Bulls Coach’s NBA Coaching Career

GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 03: Kon Knueppel #7 of the Charlotte Hornets dribbles past Matas Buzelis #14 of the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center on January 3, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

Bryant made his debut in NBA coaching with the Philadelphia 76ers, working in player development from 2016 to 2018 before earning a promotion to assistant coach under Brett Brown and Doc Rivers. In Philly, he worked with the likes of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid during their early days in the NBA. 

He then spent five seasons on Billy Donovan’s staff as an assistant coach for the Bulls, where he also served as the franchise’s Summer League head coach.

Born in Woodbridge, Virginia, Bryant played collegiate basketball at Saint Joseph’s University before embarking on a six-year professional playing career spanning the NBA G League and several international leagues in Australia, England, and Germany.

He transitioned into coaching in 2011, honing his skills as a G League assistant for the Bakersfield Jam and Delaware Blue Coats.

In Charlotte, Bryant will be helping the team usher in a new era following their trade of LaMelo Ball in the offseason. 

Bryant will also see a familiar face in Charlotte, as he worked with Coby White, who is expected to be the team’s starting point guard next season, when they were part of the Bulls. 

The Hornets ​​finished the 2025-2026 NBA regular season with a 44-38 record, placing 9th in the Eastern Conference before losing the second game of the play-in tournament to miss the playoffs. 

This offseason, the Hornets traded star guard Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a massive multi-team transaction. In return, the Hornets received center Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029, and 2030, and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, and 2033).

Charlotte Hornets Believe They Have A Good Roster

GettyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – APRIL 02: (L-R) Coby White #3, Moussa Diabate #14, and Kon Knueppel #7 of the Charlotte Hornets look on in the second half against the Phoenix Suns during their game at Spectrum Center on April 02, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

The Charlotte Hornets are confident about their current composition for next season, even after they traded LaMelo Ball. According to former Bulls guard and now Hornets starter Coby White, the team is a promising one. 

“I think we’ve got a really, really good team. We’ve got a lot of really, really good players. I think we got a lot of unselfish players, so that’ll make it easy in terms of coming together,” White said in his interview with the Charlotte Observer.

“A lot of us are already here now in Charlotte working out, so that’s a major step in — what is it, August? You don’t see that a lot in the NBA, so that already shows individually how bought in each player is. So for us, it’s just about doing it together, doing it as a collective, getting better each and every day on the court, off the court. Because I think we all value getting to that brotherhood off the court as well. It’s just as important as doing stuff on the court,” White added.

“We’ve got a chance to be a really good team and surprise a lot of people, but we’ve got to put the work in. And what comes with the work is doing what we’re doing now.”

The Hornets will have a tall task, however, as the Eastern Conference is now loaded with talents after this offseason.

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