San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina is expected to interview for the Charlotte Hornets' head coaching vacancy. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday that the Spurs granted permission for the Hornets to interview Messina, who is familiar with Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak due to their time together with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Charlotte fired head coach Steve Clifford last week after five seasons with the team. The 58-year-old Messina is a native of Italy who has been part of Gregg Popovich's staff with the Spurs since 2014. Messina previously served as the head coach for several European professional teams, including CSKA Moscow and Real Madrid.