The Charlotte Hornets have a history of players that played for Team USA

Kemba Walker may not be with the Charlotte anymore, but fans can still cheer for him while he plays for Team USA. Charlotte has a history of players that have represented them nationally.

The Charlotte Hornets have endured a hard offseason so far, and everything seemed to fall apart when the team lost Kemba Walker. Shortly after free agency began, Walker signed with the Boston Celtics.

Team USA is set to embark on another campaign this year to represent the United States, but many players have dropped out Walker’s willingness to play for Team USA has not changed, and he could possibly be a starter.

Walker undoubtedly deserves to represent his former team in August, as he’s one of the best guards left who did not drop out. Walker had a carer season last year, averaging 25.6 points and 5.9 assists per game.

Charlotte Players on Team USA

The last player who represented Charlotte on Team USA was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (only minicamp). In the history of the team’s franchise, Charlotte has had seven players involved nationally.

In 2001, Baron Davis represented Charlotte at the Goodwill Games, while Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning represented the team at the FIBA World Cup in 1994. Charlotte would also have players from the Bobcat Era representing them too.

In 2004, Emeka Okafor would represent Charlotte in the Olympics with Team USA. During his 2004-05 season, Okafor would also win the Rookie of the Year award with Charlotte.

During the years of 2006-08, Bobcats’ forward Adam Morrison was a part of the USA Senior National Team Program. While only playing for two seasons in Charlotte, Morrison averaged 9.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game with the team.

In 2009, D.J.Augustin would only get to represent Charlotte during Team USA’s Mini-Camp. During his four seasons in Charlotte, Augustin averaged 10.9 points and 4.4 assists per game.

Honorable Mentions

Steven Smith also was a player who played with Team USA. Smith did not play nationally while he was with Charlotte, as he was signed in 2004; this was the season before he retired.

Tyson Chandler had various roles with Team USA, but he never was in Charlotte when he played nationally. He only played for one season in Charlotte, where he averaged 6.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Four years before joining the Charlotte Hornets, Derrick Coleman would represent the New York Nets in 1994 at the FIBA World Cup. As a Hornet, Coleman averaged 13.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

Finally, Dwight Howard represented both the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets nationally. Howard only played for one season in Charlotte, and he managed to have a 30-30 game that year.

Final thoughts

Even though Walker is no longer playing for Charlotte, he fully represents all of Buzz City. The last jersey he wore in a game was a Hornets’ jersey; he still is a huge part of Charlotte.

If Kemba Walker is able to make the Team USA roster, he would be the 12th Charlotte Hornets’ player ever to play nationally. Here’s to hoping Walker is the starting point guard for Team USA.