CHARLOTTE (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — The Hornets continue to fill out their front office and coaching staffs ahead of the 2024 NBA season.
On Monday, the team announced the hire of Shelly Cayette-Weston as the organization’s next president of business operations.
Cayette-Weston will oversee the day-to-day operations for all of the Hornets Sports & Entertainment properties, including the Charlotte Hornets, Greensboro Swarm, Hornets Venom GT and Spectrum Center, the team says. It’s a role previously served by longtime team executive Fred Whitfield, who stepped down last December.
She’s spent the last 12 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the last two as the executive vice president and chief commercial officer.
In Cayette-Weston’s time in Cleveland, the Cavs became one of the top-performing revenue franchises in the NBA during the last 10 years.
Cayette-Weston spent the first five years of her NBA career with the New Orleans Hornets where she worked in marketing, community investments and corporate partnerships.
I’m incredibly excited to join Hornets Sports & Entertainment and become a part of the Charlotte community. I am appreciative of my last 12 years with the Cavaliers and thankful to ownership, the leadership team and all the many team members that supported me over the years. This is a compelling time for HSE, with Rick and Gabe’s passion, vision and commitment, in addition to the transformative arena renovations and the new basketball leadership of Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee. I look forward to building upon the energy and growth of our team on the court and the impact of the reimagined Spectrum Center, all of which will strengthen the experience of our fans, partners and community throughout the Carolinas. Charlotte is an amazing city with great people, tremendous growth and endless opportunities, and I cannot wait to get started.
Shelly Cayette-Weston
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Hornets are also hiring former Utah Jazz assistant Lamar Skeeter to be Charles Lee’s top assistant coach. Wojnarowski is also reporting the hire of former Bulls assistant coach Josh Longstaff.
Skeeter has been an assistant coach with the Jazz since 2016 under head coaches Will Hardy and Quinn Snyder. While in Utah, he was promoted from a development coach to a lead assistant.
Longstaff spent four years under Billy Donovan, and previously worked under Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee and as a Hawks G League head coach.