11. Baron Davis
Nov 28, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Playing the first five seasons of his career as a Hornet (though only the first three in Charlotte, that cost him a few spots on this rank), Baron Davis came out of UCLA as the third overall draft pick and would become an All Star in his third year in the NBA. Davis would blossom into one of the better Point Guards in the NBA in a Charlotte uniform and he would continue that growth when the team relocated to New Orleans.
23. Vlade Divac
Nov 28, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Vlade Divac was one of the more popular players in the NBA, but for many in Charlotte, this is the guy who was traded for the rights to Kobe Bryant. History now shows that trade being a little lopsided (though let’s be honest, do you really see Kobe playing his entire career in Charlotte?) but history also shows that Divac was a very good player who put up good numbers in every metric.
31. Jamal Mashburn
Nov 27, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Like a few others on this list, Jamal Mashburn lost a few ranking spots due to his Hornets tenure being split between Charlotte and New Orleans. Despite that fact, Mashburn made his 116 Games in Charlotte count. In Charlotte, Mashburn would average over 20 Points and 7 Rebounds per Game producing over 10 Win Shares as the scoring leader of the team.
24. Hersey Hawkins
Nov 27, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Coming out of Bradley, Hersey Hawkins had a solid three year run (over two stints) with Charlotte, where he would put together a solid 11.4 Points per Game run. That may have been a lower statistically than he was with the Philadelphia 76ers years before, but his run in Eastern Pennsylvania helped make him a draw in Carolina.
27. Boris Diaw
Nov 27, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
While Boris Diaw improved his overall game with the San Antonio Spurs (helping them win a NBA Title in 2014), the Frenchman did have a couple of good seasons in Charlotte before he ran afoul of management due to not being in the best physical condition. Diaw set personal bests in Points Per Game, and Rebounds per Game as a Bobcat, which is what got him to this elevated rank, but realistically, he is in a much better role coming off of the bench as opposed to starting as he did in Charlotte.
29. Kendall Gill
Nov 27, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Beginning his professional career with the Charlotte Hornets, Kendall Gill was a spectacular dunker who made the First Team NBA All-Rookie Team. Gill would become an effective scorer for Charlotte and in his sophomore season would average more than 20 Points per Game. Gill was a balanced player, who for whatever reason has fallen through the cracks in Charlotte basketball folklore.
19. Raymond Felton
Nov 27, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
The fifth overall ick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Raymond Felton was the Point Guard for the North Carolina Tar Heel team that won the NCAA title just before his draft. Felton was not a champion in Charlotte, but Felton was a solid scorer and distributor in the pros.
1. Kemba Walker
Nov 26, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
The Final Four MVP and NCAA Champion with the University of Connecticut, Kemba Walker has not had the same team success with the Charlotte Hornets but this does not mean that he has not put up very good numbers in the pros. He certainly did, as he moved up to our number one spot for this franchise.
The Point Guard is a very good scorer whose overall game has been improving year by year and is one of the more underrated players in the NBA. While Walker's Hornets teams only made the playoffs twice over his eight years with the team, the fact that they even made two was mostly because of him. He would be named to the All-Star in his last three seasons in the Queen City and he was a Third Team All-NBA Selection in what was his final season before signing with the Boston Celtics.
The Point Guard is a very good scorer whose overall game has been improving year by year and is one of the more underrated players in the NBA. While Walker's Hornets teams only made the playoffs twice over his eight years with the team, the fact that they even made two was mostly because of him. He would be named to the All-Star in his last three seasons in the Queen City and he was a Third Team All-NBA Selection in what was his final season before signing with the Boston Celtics.
8. Anthony Mason
Nov 25, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Anthony Mason would put up some of the best numbers of his career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. In the 1996-97 season, he would lead the NBA in Minutes per Game and that year would put personal bests in Points, Rebounds, Assists and Blocks per Game as well as PER and VORP.
7. Alonzo Mourning
Nov 25, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
The second overall pick in the 1992 Draft (behind Shaquille O’Neal), Alonzo Mourning made an immediate impact in the NBA for the Charlotte Hornets. Playing his first three seasons with Charlotte, Mourning would be an All-Star twice and would average a spectacular 21.3 Points, 10.1 Rebounds and 3.1 Blocks per game as a Hornet.
6. Glen Rice
Nov 25, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Three for three. Glen Rice was with the Charlotte Hornets for three seasons and in every NBA campaign he was named to play in the All Star Game, the second of which would see him win the MVP for the game and cement himself as a must watch player. Rice would also go “three for three” as he would average over 20 Points per Game as a Hornet, which included a 26.8 PPG in the 2006-07 campaign; a season where he would also lead the National Basketball Association in Three Point Percentage Shooting.
12. David Wesley
Nov 25, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Undrafted out of Baylor, David Wesley proved a lot of people wrong when he successfully transitioned to Point Guard and put up solid numbers when he made his way to Charlotte. Wesley would put up his biggest Points per Game Average as a Hornet, though he was not always as productive as he should be as a distributor. Still, Wesley was a decent Point Guard for Charlotte during his tenure and warrants this high rank.
14. Elden Campbell
Nov 25, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Elden Campbell was with the Charlotte Hornets for three and a half seasons (plus another half-season when the team was relocated to New Orleans). While Campbell would put up some of his best offensive numbers as a Hornet, he would also be known for his defensive skills, which would always made him a coveted big man in the NBA. It was not an accident that Charlotte made the playoffs three years in a row while he played there.
9. Emeka Okafor
Nov 22, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
The second overall draft pick of the Charlotte Bobcats and the first-ever pick for the Charlotte Bobcats gets a bad rap in many circles. Many articles have been written calling him a bust, but the fact remains that Okafor averaged a double-double every season of his run in Charlotte and was also the Rookie of the Year.
5. Dell Curry
Nov 22, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
Dell Curry is the man who holds the record for being the all-time leading scorer for the Charlotte Hornets. He also holds the all-time record for many other figures in Charlotte history, but his “low” rank stems from not being a superstar in National Basketball Association figures but from his slightly average stats over an extended duration as a pro in Charlotte.
3. Larry Johnson
Nov 21, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
While we can’t say we never really understood the Grandmama gimmick, Larry Johnson made an immediate splash in Charlotte and gave the team a “buzz” around the league.
4. Muggsy Bogues
Nov 21, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
While he may not top the list, standing at five foot three, Muggsy Bogues is definitely pound for pound the best Charlotte Hornet of all time. Bogues spent ten years in Charlotte where the pit sized Point Guard continued to defy logic and was a fan favorite not only in Charlotte but in the entire NBA.
2. Gerald Wallace
Nov 21, 2015
Published in
Top 50 Charlotte Hornets
While Gerald Wallace never had the word “Hornet” on his chest, with the amalgamation of Bobcats/Hornets history in Charlotte, this is the man who we are christening the greatest Charlotte Hornet of all time.
35. Larry Johnson
Jan 08, 2015
Published in
Basketball
Here is another player more known for his college accomplishments than his pro years. Larry Johnson was the leader of the Runnin Rebels that dominated the first few years of the 90’s. An NCAA title in 1990 was followed by an undefeated year that was trumped by a huge upset by Duke in the Final Four. Johnson was arguably the greatest junior college player ever and when Jerry Tarkanian recruited him to UNLV he became the centerpiece of the great Rebel teams. With his ability to post up and rebound down low combined with the ability to get up the court and finish and a good mid range game, Johnson was a man amongst boys. His pro career was very solid mainly with the Hornets and Knicks but not spectacular except for one fall away miracle that will be on highlight films forever. His career stats in the NBA do not match up favorably but his college career should give him a chance.
Saying that, what was the deal with "Grandmama"?
Saying that, what was the deal with "Grandmama"?
46. Hersey Hawkins
Jan 08, 2015
Published in
Basketball
Once again, we have another player who had a solid pro career that is overshadowed by a spectacular college career. Hersey Hawkins is only one of six players to score more than 6,000 career points in Division One. Hawkins and Chet Walker are easily the two best players ever to come from Bradley University; and the Braves are one of the best programs ever that nobody remembers. This might be hurting him. He may be sadly best remembered for an injury that kept him out of most of the 1988 Olympic Games and some say cost the team a gold due to their lack of perimeter shooting. This of course led to the Dream Team being created so he has got that going for him.