Charlotte’s NBA history goes far back beyond the Bobcats franchise that started in the 2004-2005 season. The first Charlotte team was the Charlotte Hornets that got their start in 1988 but after the 2001-2002 season the Hornets moved to New Orleans and become the New Orleans Hornets. That team now goes by the Pelicans. Charlotte was without a basketball team for a couple of years but got an expansion team in 2004. That team was going to be known as the Charlotte Bobcats, which they went by for 10 seasons and before the 2014-2015 season changed their name to resemble the old Charlotte franchise. The team is now known as the Charlotte Hornets once again.
When the New Orleans team changed their name to the Pelicans it returned the Hornets name, records, and official history from 1988 to 2002 to Charlotte. So while Charlotte does officially hold all of the records from the original Hornets team, I would like to only use the most recent history of the Charlotte organization. So here are the rules to making the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets All-Time Team:
1. The player must have played in Charlotte while the team was known as the Bobcats from 2004 to 2014 or if they played as the new Hornets from 2014 to present.
2. Only their specific Charlotte statistical seasons may be used.
3. Remember this team won’t be that great because the franchise has only been around a little more than a decade.
Starting Point Guard: Kemba Walker ’13-’14
Stats: 17.7 points per game, 6.1 assists per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 39% FG
Strange to say but this actually might be the deepest position, talent wise, that the Charlotte Hornets have ever had with players like Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin. It is hard to believe that Kemba is the best point guard that the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets have had but their history only dates back little over a decade so it isn’t too surprising.
Starting Shooting Guard: Jason Richardson ’07-’08
Stats: 21.8 points per game, 3.1 assists per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, 44% FG, 40% from three
Jason Richardson only played one full season in Charlotte but definitely had one of the best seasons that a Bobcat player has ever had. He averaged over 20 points a game which was good for best on the team. If only he could’ve played longer in Charlotte but he was traded the next season. Prime J-Rich was an athletic scoring machine.
Starting Small Forward: Gerald Wallace ’09-’10
Stats: 18.2 points per game, 10.0 rebounds per game, 48% FG
Possibly the greatest Bobcats of all-time, Gerald Wallace, put upside big numbers while in Charlotte and definitely had the best seasons of his career while he was there. During the 2009-2010 season he averaged a double-double and was a complete beast. Defiantly deserves to be on this roster.
Starting Power Forward: Boris Diaw ’08-’09
Stats 15.1 points per game, 4.9 assists per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, 49% FG
Although Diaw was traded to the Bobcats in the middle of the season and only played 59 games for the Charlotte team during the 2008-2009 season I believe it still counts towards an awesome year he had in a Bobcats uniform. He put up the best scoring output of his career and was an effective all-around player for the team. He played about three seasons for Charlotte and was then bought out by the team.
Starting Center: Al Jefferson ’13-’14
Stats: 21.8 points per game, 10.8 rebounds per game, 50% FG
Another current player for the team, Al Jefferson had one of the best seasons of his career during the 2013-2014 season. He posted a double-double and was a 20-10 player this season. He clearly proved that he was worth the big contract that the Hornets gave him.
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Backups:
PG- Raymond Felton- ’07-’08
Stats: 14.4 points per game, 7.4 assists per game, 41% FG
Felton played his first five NBA seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats and was the teams starting point guard for most of those five years. He was a very productive player during his time with the team. He did go on to have better seasons with other teams but his start was in Charlotte.
SG- Gerald Henderson– ’12-13
Stats: 15.5 points per game, 2.6 assists per game, 3.7 rebounds per game, 44% FG
Henderson who played his first six season with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets was recently traded from the team but had some great seasons. He could arguably be the best Charlotte Bobcats shooting guard ever.
SF- Stephen Jackson– ’09-’10 season
Stats: 21.1 points per game, 3.6 assists per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, 42% FG
Jackson only played two seasons for the Bobcats but led the team in scoring both seasons that he did. He recently announced his retirement from the NBA. He may not always be remembered as a Bobcat but he did have the highest scoring output of his career during the 2009-2010 season with the team.
PF- Emeka Okafor– ’06-’07 season
Stats: 14.4 point per game, 11.3 rebounds per game, 2.6 blocks per game, 53%
The first ever Charlotte Bobcat draft pick, Emeka Okafor, had some great seasons for the team and won rookie of the year during his first season. He was the second overall pick in the draft. This was arguably the best season of his career. He averaged a double-double and the highest blocks per game he ever averaged. Although he played center for most of his career, during his first two seasons he played power forward and to fill out the team with the best players we will put him here.
C- Primoz Brezec – ’04-’05 season
Stats: 13.0 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game, 51% FG
The 7’2 Slovenian was probably the best center that the Bobcats have ever had until he signing of Al Jefferson. He played three seasons in Charlotte. He had his highest point an rebounds totals during the 2004-2005 season. He was on the inaugural Bobcat team.
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- Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
- Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
- Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
- Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
- Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?
I think this team makes you cringe at how bad or not so good the Bobcats have been over the past ten plus years but I think it also gives you a smile to remember how it was being a fan of these teams. Now sure we could’ve easily made a better team using players from the original Charlotte Hornets teams but that wouldn’t be as fun. Everyone knows those players. It is more fun and difficult to pick from a smaller group of players. I hope that you guys enjoyed this roster.