The NBA season is quickly approaching, and the Charlotte Hornets have a new and improved brand. Charlotte welcomes back the Hornets, as the dreadful Bobcats are now a thing of the past. Many of the younger readers will not remember the electric atmosphere and positive vibes that the Charlotte fans and players brought to the NBA from 1988 through 2002. Here I will examine the top five greatest players from the original Charlotte Hornets and try to give my readers either
a) a nostalgic look back at some of their favorite players
or
b) a great history lesson on one of the NBA’s better franchises for over a decade.
#5 Muggsy Bogues
Muggsy Bogues was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1988 expansion draft and quickly became a fan favorite. Bogues, who is only 5’3″, took command of the Hornets offense and grew into an above-average NBA point guard. He played in Charlotte for ten seasons and helped lead the Hornets to four playoff appearances. He, along with the #3 player on this list, guided Charlotte to a 54-28 record in the 1996-1997 season that still stands as a franchise record for wins in a season. Bogues still holds the franchise records for minutes played, assists, steals, and assists per 48 minutes (13.5!). The only thing keeping Bogues from being higher on this list is that he was never the true number one or even number two player on a great team. His career high in PPG was only 11.1, and to be placed higher on my list you have to be able to score the rock. Bogues, however, will never be forgotten and his game stood tall amongst other players in the mid-90s. (See what I did there??)
#4 Jamal Mashburn
Jamal Mashburn comes in at number four on my list. Mashburn only played two seasons for the Charlotte Hornets (NOTE: they moved to New Orleans and he played for another two seasons with the franchise), yet he made his presence felt immediately. He lead the team in PPG and was second on the team in ASG during both the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 seasons. As a veteran on this team, Mashburn helped lead the Hornets to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in both his seasons. In the 2001 playoffs, Charlotte lost Game 7 on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. This still stands as the farthest that any Hornets team has ever gotten in the playoffs. Although brief, Jamal Mashburn provided Hornets fans with a lot to remember during his two seasons in Charlotte.
#3 Glen Rice
Like Mashburn, Glen Rice came to the Charlotte Hornets during the middle of his career. He came over from the Miami Heat in a trade involving the #2 player on my list. Rice had the one attribute that I like most in an NBA player: he could score the rock. Beginning in his rookie season, Rice showed that he was also a deadly shooter. Three point shooting was his specialty and he never shot lower than 45.7% from downtown during his tenure in Charlotte. He averaged 23.6 PPG during his three seasons in Charlotte, including a tremendous 26.8 PPG in his second season. The 1996-1997 season saw Rice win the NBA All-Star game MVP award, score the aforementioned 26.8 PPG, and he led the Hornets to their best record in team history. Similar to Mashburn, Rice’s lack of longevity is the only reason he is not higher on this list. However, for three seasons Rice and the Hornets took the NBA by storm and established this franchise as a legitimate contender after losing players #1 and #2 on this list earlier in the decade.
#2 Alonzo Mourning
The Charlotte Hornets were selecting near the top of the NBA Draft in 1992, and they selected Alonzo Mourning with the 2nd overall pick. Mourning had been the Big East Player of the Year in 1992 while dominating the paint for the Georgetown Hoyas. The Hornets paired Mourning with the #1 player on my list and they quickly became a very good team in the NBA. Mourning averaged an amazing 21.0 PPG/10.3 RPG/3.47 BPG!!! during his rookie year. If it wasn’t for a certain Superman in Orlando (Shaquille O’Neal), Mourning would have been the runaway choice for NBA Rookie of the Year. Mourning led the Hornets to their first playoff appearance in his rookie season and made the series winning shot against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the 1st round series. He became somewhat selfish, however, and began to cause chemistry issues with the Hornets. After three seasons, Mourning was traded to the Miami Heat in the deal that sent Charlotte Glen Rice. I elevated Mourning over Rice simply because Mourning came to Charlotte out of college. He quickly became a recognizable face and provided the Hornets with an interior presence that contributed to their success. He and Rice were close, but Mourning won out in the end.
#1 Larry Johnson
Larry Johnson came to Charlotte out of UNLV and was selected with the 1st overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. Johnson finally gave the Hornets some legitimacy in the NBA landscape. The Hornets had yet to win more than 26 games in their first three seasons and Johnson helped turn that around. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award by averaging 19.2 PPG/11.0 RPG/49% FG. In 1993, Johnson was selected to the All-Star game, making him the first player in franchise history to be selected as an All-Star. He, along with Muggsy Bogues and Alonzo Mourning, created a lot of buzz around the Charlotte franchise and made the team “cool” in the minds of teenagers everywhere. Johnson, also known by his nickname Grandmama (from his commercials with Converse), signed a 12 year, $84 million contract with Charlotte in 1993. At the time, this was the richest contract in NBA history. Unfortunately for Johnson, he injured his back in 1993-1994 season and was never quite the same. The injury cost Johnson some of the explosivness that made him effective, and he was traded to the New York Knicks before the 1995-1996 season. Larry Johnson was everything the Hornets wanted and needed out of the number one overall pick. He put the Hornets on the map, which is the main reason that he tops the list as the greatest player of the Charlotte Hornets from 1988-2002.
Have a different opinion? Feel free to comment with any changes that you would make to this list.
Also, be on the lookout in the next few days for my three part season preview of the Charlotte Hornets!
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