Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023-24 revision of our top 50 Charlotte Hornets.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Charlotte had another awful year and was nowhere close to playoff consideration.  As this is a very young organization, there were multiple elevations and one new entrant. 

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Kenba Walker
2. Gerald Wallace
3. Larry Johnson
4. Muggsy Bogues
5. Dell Curry

You can find the entire list here.

Terry Rozier, who was traded to the Miami Heat during the season, played 30 Games for Charlotte.  There was a chasm between his #17 rank and #16, and he did not do enough to advance from that rank.

LaMelo Ball, who played less than 30 Games last year, still managed to climb up five spots to #18.  This is a testament to Ball’s skills and the lack of overall talent this Hornets incarnation has had.

The returning Miles Bridges moved up four spots to #21.

P.J. Washington, who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks during the season, went up one spot to #40.

Gordon Hayward, who retired after the season (and was also traded during the year to the Oklahoma City Thunder) advanced one rank to #45.

The new entrant is Center Nick Richards, who debuts at #48.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Nick Richards’ talent brought him to the United States, where he became a star at the University of Kentucky.  After a solid college run, he was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2020 Second Round and traded the day after to Charlotte.

The Center bounced between the Hornets and the G-League and played off the bench the years after before he found significant time in 2023-24.  That season, he started over 50 Games and averaged 9.7 Points and 1.1 Rebounds per Game.

During the NBA free agency season, a significant player retired from the game of basketball. Kemba Walker, 34, announced his retirement.

Walker was a dominant force at UConn, leading the Huskies to a national championship in 2011, where he was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, the Big East Tournament MVP, and a consensus first team All-American.  For his efforts, he was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats (later Hornets) ninth overall in 2011, the team he remains most associated with.

Walker broke out in the 2015-16 campaign, where he was second in Most Improved Player of the Year voting and had his first of five straight 20-PPG seasons. He went to his first All-Star Game a year later and was named to that mid-season classic the next two years.  This culminated in an All-NBA Third Team Selection in 2018-19, which was his best year in Basketball.

He joined the Boston Celtics as part of a sign-and-trade in 2019 and promptly had his fourth (and final) All-Star year, but knee problems began to rear its ugly head.  Walker was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where his contract was bought out.  He finished his NBA run with a year in New York and nine Games in Dallas.

He concluded his career with one season with Monaco in the French League, where his squad won the league championship.

Walker is eligible for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2028, though that might be a tough ask.  Hopefully, the Hornets will acknowledge him in some capacity in the future.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com wish Kemba Walker the best in his post-playing career.

The first incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets had some good moments and memorable players, but they had an athletic Point Guard named Baron Davis, whose career and contributions to the sport are yet to receive their proper due.

A Pac-10 Freshman of the Year at UCLA, Davis was the third overall pick in199y by the Charlotte Hornets, and he was their starting Point Guard as an NBA sophomore.  Davis blossomed over the next five years, where his athletic leap and strong defense consistently put him in the top ten in Assists and Steals while still scoring in bunches when needed.

Twice an All-Star with the Hornets, Davis was a Third-Team All-NBA Selection in 2003-04, and while that was his peak, it can easily be imagined that if Davis was with a better team, his trophy case would be fuller. His Assists and steals numbers speak for themselves. 

Gordon Hayward was an All-Star in Utah, and was signed by the Boston Celtics in 2017, though he got off to a rocky start when he was injured six minutes into the season and missed the year.  Heyward never matched his production in Boston, but Charlotte hoped for better when they acquired the Forward in a sign-and-trade in 2020.

Hayward averaged 19.4 Points per Game with a 17.5 PER in his first year in Buzz City, but he his stats have declined since, posting still-respectable metrics of 15.9 and 14.7 Points per Game, though his PER dropped under 14 in 2023-24.   He played one more season, though that was split between Charlotte anf OKC, as he was traded midway through the campaign.

He retired afterward.

Mason Plumlee can be a punchline in some circles, but that should not be the case, as his play at Center has always been solid, though not star-making.

You don’t have to be a star to make it in the NBA, and Plumlee was already an eight-year veteran before he was traded to Charlotte, his fifth NBA team.  A Hornet for 129 Games, Plumlee started them all, averaging 9 Points and 8.6 Rebounds per Game.

Charlotte traded Plumlee to the Los Angeles Clippers for their playoff run in 2023.

Taken with the 12^th Overall Pick in 2019, P.J. Washington ventured east from the University of Kentucky to the Charlotte Hornets, the team where he still plies his trade for.

Washington was a Second Team All-Rookie at Power Forward, averaging 12.2 Points per Game, but he did not show much improvement in his sophomore year, with only moderate statistical gains.  Washington lost his permanent starting job in 2021-22, but reclaimed the starter’s role, and had a career-high 15.7 PPG.

In 2023-24, Washington was traded during the season to Dallas (is that farther away from Brittany Renner?), and P.J. would have an overall 13.0 PPG over 304 Games.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2021/22 revision of our top Charlotte Hornets

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Charlotte made the playoffs and have a nice nucleus of players that could make them a contender.  Last year’s results saw two new entries and one large jump on this young franchise, but nothing affecting the top tier.

As always, we present our top five:

1. Kemba Walker

2. Gerald Wallace

3. Larry Johnson

4. Mugsy Bogues

5. Dell Curry

You can find the entire list here.

Terry Rozier had a significant jump, moving from #40 to #23.

The highest of the three new entrants is Miles Bridges, who suffered an incident in the off-season that might prevent him from continuing hs career.  He debuts at #24.

Another high-profile debut is Point Guard, LaMelo Ball, who was the 2021 Rookie of the Year, and an All-Star last season.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

The path for LaMelo Ball to the NBA might be a template for others to follow, though few people have a father like LaVar Ball.

The youngest Ball brothers forewent college, playing overseas and ationally in his father’s developmental league, honing his skills and parlaying that to a Third Overall Pick in the 2020 Draft.  Many predicted that LaMelo would become the best in the family, and early in his career, that appears to be the case.

Ball started the 2020-21 Season on the bench, but the Hornets gave him more time and the starting position at Point Guard by mid-season.  Ball won the Rookie of the Year, averaging 15.7 Points and 6.1 Assists per Game.  He progressed as a sophomore, representing Charlotte in the All-Star Game, averaging 20.1 Points per Game and finishing in the top in Assists (7.6) and Steals (1.6) per Game.  Ball was injured for most of the 2022-23 Season, and last year, but was electric when he played.

If the Hornets can hold on to Ball for a decade, he should make the top of this list; that is providing he stays healthy.

An All-Big Ten First Team player from Michigan, Miles Bridges was taken with the 12^th Overall Pick in 2018 by the Los Angeles Clippers, only to be immediately traded to Charlotte.

After a decent rookie year (7.5 PPG in 21 MPG), Bridges settled in as a regular starting Forward as a sophomore, but his progression was not as fast as the Hornets were hoping for, and he was regulated to more of a bench role in his his third season.  Going into 2021/22, it was believed that this would have to be the season where he would show whether or not he could take that nake step, and that is exactly what he did.

Playing more at Power Forward, Bridges had a breakout campaign, averaging 20.2 Points and 7.0 Rebounds per Game, and every metric showed improvement.  It looked like there was a star in the making, with Bridges poised to be a lynchpin to a contender…or so, it seemed.

Entering Restricted Free Agency in 2022, Bridges’ life and career took a tumble by his own hands.  He was charged with domestic violence, and missed the entirety of the 2022-23 Season.  He resigned with the Hornets, returned from suspension and averaged 21 Points per Game, but this was more due to somebody having to score for Charlotte.

He is still in his prime, but has a lot of work to do to be a potential All-Star.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2021-22 revision of our top 50 Charlotte Hornets of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NBA. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

After looking at the 2020-21 Season, we have two new entries, and two increases.

As always, we present our top five immediately, though nothing has changed in this upper-tier.

1. Kemba Walker

2. Gerald Wallace

3. Larry Johnson

4. Muggsy Bogues

5. Dell Curry

You can find the entire list here.

Cody Zeller moved up from #13 to #10.

Bismack Biyombo climbed one rung to #33. 

Guard, Devonte’ Graham debuts at #38.

Another Guard, Terry Rozier, enters at #40.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

After four years with Boston, Terry Rozier was traded to Charlotte as part of the deal that sent Kemba Walker the other way.  The transaction allowed Rozier to become a starting Guard in the NBA, which he has to date taken advantage of.

Devonte’ Graham arrived in Charlotte as part of a draft day trade with Atlanta in 2018, and the Kansas Jayhawk had been with the Hornets ever since.

From the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bismack Biyombo is a big man who was adept at rebounding and blocking who had two runs in Charlotte

Biyombo was the seventh overall pick in 2013. and though his skills did not develop the way Charlotte hoped, he found a role in the rotation, finishing in the top ten in Blocks per Game twice.  Signing with the Raptors in 2015, and then the Magic a year later, Biyombo was traded back to Charlotte where he played three years, though he started fewer Games than he did in his first run.  

With the Hornets, Biyombo has averaged 5.7 Rebounds and 1.3 Blocks per Game for Charlotte and what lacked in talent he makes up for in determination.  

While it is taking is quite some time for us to generate our top 50 players for each major franchise (MLB, NBA, NFL & NHL), we also endeavor to update all of our existing lists when we can.

As such we have done so with a revision of the Charlotte Hornets.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following:

1. 1. Advanced Statistics, such as PER, Win Shares, and VORP.

2. 2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the NBA.

3. 3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. 4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Remember, this is ONLY based on what a player does on that particular team and not what he accomplished elsewhere and also note that we have placed an increased importance on the first two categories.

Also remember that in the case of the Charlotte Hornets, the history of the original incarnation of the Hornets is part of this, as they own the rights to that legacy. This also includes the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, who would reclaim the name of the Hornets.

This list is updated up until the end of the 2017-18 Season.

The complete list can be found here, but as always we announce our top five in this article. They are:

1. 1. Kemba Walker: Over the last two seasons, Walker moved from #6 to #1 and is the definite face of the franchise, though this has been a team that has not advanced to the Quarter-Finals.

2. 2. Gerald Wallace: Due to a slight adjustment in the way we do our rankings, Wallace moved ahead of Larry Johnson and held his #2 spot.

3. 3. Larry Johnson: Johnson slides one spot due to the changes we made on our algorithms but remains as one of the greatest Charlotte Hornets of all-time.

4. 4. Muggsy Bogues: Bogues may be small in stature but he is still a top five player in terms of all-time Charlotte Hornet history.

5. 5. Dell Curry: In terms of who Dell Curry is, many figure him is as the father of Steph but for this purpose he is ranked #5 on our all-time lust for the Charlotte Hornets.

There are other significant changes worth mentioning as there are four significant jumps and three new debuts on this list:

Marvin Williams moves from #25 to #14.

Cody Zeller moves from #27 to #17.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist moves from #38 to #22.

Nicolas Batum moves form #47 to #23.

The new entries are:

Jeremy Lamb at #31.

Dwight Howard at #35.

Frank Kaminsky at #45.

We will continue our adjustments on our existing lists and will continue developing our new lists.

As always we thank you for your support.

During his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin, Frank Kaminsky was the consensus College Player of the Year in 2015.  Drafted ninth overall, Kaminsky played his first four seasons with Charlotte.  Usually used off of the bench, Kaminsky showed decent production with a pair of 10 plus Points per Game seasons, but his rebounding and blocking digits were low for a man his size.

Ok…let us begin with the obvious.

Dwight Howard will be a first ballot Hall of Famer and he should be. 

Jeremy Lamb played four years f his career for the Charlotte Hornets at the Shooting Guard position, the first two years of which were on the bench.  Lamb’s career originally began with the Oklahoma City Thunder where he bounced back and forth multiple times with their D-League affiliate but he eventually found his role and after being traded to Charlotte he began to excel at it.

Our process continues!

Regular visitors know that we are slowly working away on our Top 50 players for each major franchise.  Those same visitors know that they are being added VERY slowly and that we have a long way to go still.

Having said that, we have updated the first NBA Top 50 list, which is that of the Charlotte Hornets. 

In the future, changes to top 50 NBA teams will be more subtle, as we now have an algorithm that is fixed, and adds more elements of advanced statistics.  All changes after this will be only reflect what has changed over a completed season.  Basically, what we are saying is that the Hornets overhaul reflects our new system and now the 2015-16 season accomplishments.

We have switched around the entire list, but for the sake of brevity, let’s look at the new top five:

Larry Johnson takes over the #1 from Gerald Wallace who traded places to come in at #2.  Muggsy Bogues and Dell Curry remain at #3 and #4 respectively.  Glen Rice moves into #5, up one spot, taking over for Emeka Okafor who dropped significantly to #9.  Notably, Kemba Walker moved up from #12 to #6.

The entire list can be found here.

Look for more Top 50 lists and revisions from us soon!