One of the best parts of loving a sports team is that the athletes who play for your favorite team can become a significant part of your life. 278 players have played in at least one game for the Charlotte Hornets, and a select few in that group stand above the rest as “fan favorites”. With that in mind, here are the top five “fan favorite” players in Hornets history.
LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball will certainly be on this list sooner rather than later, but it is just too early to include him as Top 5 fan favorite right now. That said, if he keeps performing well, staying healthy, and the Hornets give him an extension, then he will go on the Top 5 list.
Alonzo Mourning
Alonzo Mourning is one the greatest “what ifs” in Charlotte’s franchise history. With the talent that he brought to this team at such a young age, he could have been the face of the franchise for Charlotte. There is still a case to be made that he is the best defensive player this franchise has ever had.
Unfortunately, Mourning and the Hornets had contract negotiations fall through. Mourning also had disagreements with teammate Larry Johnson that were getting worse, and it ultimately forced Charlotte to trade Mourning to the Miami Heat. Mourning became a great player in Miami as well and won an NBA Championship with them in 2005-06 season. At least in that trade the Hornets were able to obtain Glen Rice, who would have a stellar Charlotte career in his own right.
Dell Curry
Yes, Dell Curry was not a starter for the Hornets, but he was a fantastic performer for Charlotte nonetheless. In my opinion he is one of the most underrated shooters in the NBA as he made some clutch shots during his time and was a great passer as well.
Curry is also in most of the record books for Charlotte as a Top 5 performer. He still holds the franchise record for most games played with 701.
Larry Johnson
The younger generation of Charlotte fans likely missed out on watching Larry Johnson, which is a shame. Johnson had some outstanding years in Charlotte, particularly during the 1992-93 season. His constant double-double performances led to him being a part of the 1993 NBA All-Star team.
Johnson left the Hornets due to his disagreements with Alonzo Mourning and injury issues. He was shipped off to the New York Knicks, but he never was the same player after the deal. He constantly had back issues which eventually led to his early retirement. His career may have been cut short, but his performance in Charlotte will never be forgotten.
Gerald Wallace
Gerald Wallace was the defining era for a generation of Charlotte basketball fans who grew up during the early days of the Bobcats. Wallace was a very versatile forward and played both wasy at a high level.
The Bobcats-era recordbook is essentially the autobiography of Gerald Wallace. For those years (2004-2014), he is the team’s all-time leader in points, steals, field goals, free throws, and games played. Perhaps his finest year came in 2009-10, when he helped lead Charlotte to their first playoff appearance since rejoining the NBA in 2004.
Ultimately, Charlotte decided to trade Wallace to the Portland Trail Blazers at midseason during the 2010-11 campaign, a move that still stings for many fans to this day.
Kemba Walker
You probably saw this one coming. Kemba Walker is the best player that Charlotte Hornets have ever had and the franchise record book reflects this fact.
Walker had several iconic moments in his time in Charlotte as well. One that fans will remember fondly was a home game on opening night of the 2014-15 seaso against the Milwaukee Bucks. In their first game as the newly-named “Hornets”, Charlotte rallied from a 24-point deficit to secure an overtime victory. Walker nailed a three-pointer with one second remaining in regulation to fore overtime and then knicked down a two-point jumper with five seconds remaining in the extra session to provide the winning margin.
While Walker’s departure from Charlotte in the 2019 offseason ultimately worked out for the Hornets, it was not the storybook ending that many fans desired. Now expected to be bought out by the Detroit Pistons, Walker has been rumored to be a potential addition for the Hornets as a backup point guard for the upcoming season.