Ranking the Charlotte Hornets’ top-5 centers of All-Time
4. Emeka Okafor (Bobcats ’04-’09)
Emeka Okafor was selected second overall in the 2004 NBA Draft and was the Bobcats’ first pick as an NBA expansion team.
Okafor is an unsung hero for the Bobcats/Hornets franchise. He was a dominant force in the paint, and on the glass, as he averaged 14 points and 10.7 rebounds per game for the Hornets.
As a Rookie, Okafor would average 15.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. These numbers were good enough to earn him the honor of NBA Rooke of the Year and All-Rookie First Team in 2005.
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Okafor only spent five years with the team, until he was traded to the New Orleans Hornets, for Tyson Chandler. This was not a good trade for Charlotte, as Chandler averaged only half the numbers that Okafor was putting up.
Okafor was an electrifying force for Charlotte at the center position and shot at above 50% for his entire career with the Bobcats. A double-double with a franchise is a good number to have, and it shows that he was consistent.
If Okafor would have remained with the team, he would’ve padded his all-time stats even more. The franchise would then have to go four years without a franchise center after Okafor departed the team.
Career All-Time Team Rankings:
- #1 All-Time in Total Rebounds with 3,516
- #1 All-Time in Total Rebound Pct with 18.5%
- #2 All-Time in Offensive Rebounds with 1,157
- #2 All-Time in Defensive Rebounds with 2,359
- #2 All-Time in Blocks with 621
- #10 All-Time in Points Scored with 4,630