Charlotte Hornets: 20 greatest player seasons in franchise history
By John Buhler
Kemba Walker is having his best season as a professional. Where does it stack up among the greatest player seasons in Charlotte Hornets history?
The Charlotte Hornets were found back in 1988 as an NBA expansion team. They played in the Queen City from 1998 through 2002 before relocating to New Orleans. NBA hoops would come back to Charlotte in the form of another expansion team in the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004.
After the then-New Orleans Hornets shed their former moniker to become the New Orleans Pelicans, the buzz was back in Charlotte in 2014, as owner Michael Jordan brought back the iconic name to the Carolinas.
All the while, Charlotte has not achieved the postseason success anywhere close to the level of its collegiate counterparts. That being said, this NBA franchise hasn’t been deprived of great player seasons.
With point guard Kemba Walker making his third-straight trip to the NBA All-Star Game in 2019, it seems like a great time to look back on the best player years in Hornets/Bobcats history. So far, Charlotte has had 13 NBA All-Stars, six All-NBA seasons, five All-Defensive seasons, two Rookies of the Year and one Sixth Man award winner.
Where does Walker’s phenomenal 2018-19 campaign stack among the best years in Charlotte professional hoops? What about his great 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons? Here are the best 20 player seasons in the history of the Hornets/Bobcats franchise. Let’s begin with No. 20.