Cleveland Charge Name Eli Kell-Abrams Next Head Coach

The Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League announced Tuesday that Eli Kell-Abrams has been named the eighth head coach in franchise history.

“We are very excited to have Eli join our Charge family and the long list of talented, hard-working coaches we have had here,” said Charge general manager Liron Fanan.

“Eli has an infectious personality, great NBA experience and a really sharp basketball mind that will be an excellent combination to lead our team this upcoming season.”

Eli Kell-Abrams Previously Worked For Trail Blazers

Kell-Abrams is arriving at Cleveland after most recently serving as the head video coordinator for the Portland Trail Blazers over the last two seasons.

His responsibilities included back-of-bench support during games, managing team video needs, on-court player development, game-planning, and opponent scouting.

Get to know our new Head Coach Eli Kell-Abrams! #ChargeOn

READ MORE 📝: https://t.co/f2cCF4k4ql pic.twitter.com/X7KXELNLlY

— Cleveland Charge (@ChargeCLE) August 26, 2025

Before joining Portland, Kell-Abrams also spent time as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.

“I am beyond thrilled for this opportunity to join the Cavaliers organization and be the head coach of the Cleveland Charge,” said Kell-Abrams.

“It has been a long, gratifying road to get to this point in my career, and I cannot wait to get our staff and team together to get to work!”

Kell-Abrams Replacing Chris Darnell As Cleveland Charge Head Coach

Per the Blazers media guide:

“Kell-Abrams gained coaching experience as an Assistant Coach at Saint Thomas Aquinas College from 2017-18 and a Graduate Assistant Coach at the University of Miami for two seasons from 2015-17.

“He was a four-year starting point guard at Emerson College and was awarded GNAC Rookie of the Year in 2012. As a player, Kell-Abrams led his team to two NCAA Tournament appearances (2016, 2017), including a Sweet 16 in 2016.”

All seven previous head coaches departed the Charge to join an NBA team as an assistant: Alex Jensen (2011-13), Steve Hetzel (2013-14), Jordi Fernandez (2014-16), Nate Reinking (2016-21), Dan Geriot (2021-22), Mike Gerrity (2022-24), and Chris Darnell (2024-25).

Kell-Abrams will now take over for Chris Darnell, who coached Cleveland last season before leaving to join Doug Christie’s new staff with the Sacramento Kings.

The entire Charge coaching and support staff for the 2025-26 season will be announced at a later date.

Cleveland finished 16-18 last season and 11th in the Eastern Conference.