Hornets’ Charles Lee reveals how Coby White became a Play-In game hero

LaMelo Ball may have been the final hero of the day for the Charlotte Hornets, as it was his layup over Jaime Jaquez Jr. that secured their 127-126 win in overtime over the Miami Heat in the 9/10 play-in tournament matchup, but they would not have been in a position to win in the first place if it weren’t for Coby White.

With Kon Knueppel struggling and Ball building a house of bricks from beyond the arc, Hornets head coach Charles Lee called a play for White to make a three-pointer with Charlotte down three, 114-111, in the dying embers of regulation. White caught fire in the third quarter but was oddly underutilized in the final frame, but he came up huge when it mattered the most — nailing an extremely difficult triple to tie the game and send it to overtime.

White, who was acquired by the Hornets in a trade deadline deal with the Chicago Bulls, is no stranger to the play-in tournament, playing in it for the fourth consecutive year. And Lee could not be any prouder of the 26-year-old guard.

“He’s been huge since he got here. He showed who he is again tonight in a big moment — a win or go home game. He didn’t have a great first half but I thought that he just continued to stick with it and found his way and came up with huge plays down the stretch. He’s been here before. He’s confident in himself, and we’re confident in him as well,” Lee said, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter).

"He just continued to stick with it and found his way."

Coach Charles Lee on Coby White (17 PTS in 2nd half, game-tying 3 to force OT) https://t.co/j5Px4wvBUN pic.twitter.com/4mljbaWlCc

— NBA (@NBA) April 15, 2026

White has bought into his role as the sixth man of this supercharged Hornets team, and with their prized rookie struggling in the biggest game of their season thus far, it was the battle-tested veteran who came up huge for Charlotte as they inch closer to clinching a spot in the 2026 NBA playoffs.

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