Eli Kell-Abrams Named Head Coach of Charge

CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League have announced 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.”

Kell-Abrams comes to Cleveland after most recently serving as Head Video Coordinator for the Portland Trail Blazers over the last two seasons, where his responsibilities included managing team video needs & staff, on-court player development, offensive/defensive game-planning, opponent scouting, and back of bench support during games.  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!”

With the NBA Call-Up of Chris Darnell to the Sacramento Kings earlier this summer, 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), Chris Darnell (2024-25).  The entire Charge coaching and support staff for the 2025-26 season will be announced at a later date.

Coach Kell-Abrams will be on hand to lead the Charge during their 2025 Local Open Tryout on Saturday, September 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at HoopTech in North Ridgeville.  During the session, prospects will be assessed based on their athletic performance and basketball skills. Up to three players from the tryout will be eligible to earn an invite to Charge training camp in October without having to declare for the 2025 NBA G League Draft.  Registration and eligibility information can be found at ClevelandCharge.com or by clicking HERE.

For more information about the Cleveland Charge, including game schedules, tickets, and community programs, visit ClevelandCharge.com or follow the Charge on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Threads. Fans can sign up for text alerts by texting CHARGE to 30594 for the latest updates and special offers.

Charge Nation Memberships are on sale now and include discounted ticket prices, the best seat locations, exclusive team gear, invites to private events with the team, free Cavs & Monsters tickets for select games, and many more benefits! Premium options including all-inclusive food, beer, wine, seltzer and soda are also available. Click HERE for more information!

ABOUT CLEVELAND CHARGE

The Cleveland Charge are the NBA G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Founded in 2011 as the Canton Charge, the team is part of Rock Entertainment Group, the umbrella entity of sports and entertainment properties under the Dan Gilbert ROCK Family of Companies. Beginning in the 2024-25 season, the Cleveland Charge began playing home games at the historic Public Hall in downtown Cleveland. Charge games are also broadcasted on Rock Entertainment Sports Network (channel 979 on Spectrum and over-the-air on channel 22.1), a joint venture between Rock Entertainment Group and Gray Media. The organization is led by the President of Franchise Properties Mike Ostrowski, President Rocco Maragas, General Manager Liron Fanan, and Head Coach Eli Kell-Abrams.