One of the most pleasant surprises for Charlotte Hornets fans after the regular-season schedules were released was seeing the team slated to appear on national TV three times. That may not seem much, but the fact that it had been snubbed in the past years and that other clubs have it worse should elate the organization and its fans.
In the previous two seasons, the Hornets were scheduled for just one national TV appearance each. However, the NBA decided to pull the plug on those plans because of their dismal record and the absence of key players due to injuries.
This time around, the league thought it best to assign the reigning Las Vegas Summer League champion to three nationally televised bouts. Perhaps it is an indication that Buzz City has started to become recognized as more than just a bottom-feeder. Interestingly, five squads will have fewer national TV appearances, namely the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans (who had nine in the 2024-25 campaign), and Brooklyn Nets.
NBA may be pushing the rivalry agenda on Hornets
Another way to look at Charlotte's privilege of landing a trio of national TV gigs is that the league is piqued by the idea of Hornets players facing off against opponents that are linked to their respective careers.
For instance, two of Charlotte's nationally televised contests will come against the Cleveland Cavaliers — the first one on Dec. 22, which will be shown on Peacock, and the next on Jan. 21, which will be aired on ESPN. It's unknown whether the NBA would have gone through with those matchups had the Cavs not traded for Lonzo Ball this summer. Hornets fans might want to tune into those battles, especially after he floated the idea of seeing his youngest brother, Melo, get shipped to the LA Clippers.
The Hornets' final game in the 2025-26 regular season to be presented to a national audience will be on Jan. 31. They will host the San Antonio Spurs on that day in a clash that will be broadcast on a different network, Amazon Prime. It will certainly be an intriguing meeting, as it will present Brandon Miller, Tidjane Salaun, and Kon Knueppel with the opportunity to prove that Charlotte is fine missing out on Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper in the past three drafts.
Hopefully, Charlotte will be healthy and competitive enough during those dates to avoid having its national TV appearances swept under the rug anew. Many of its fans are also probably hoping that it can be relevant enough to have more of its games aired to a wider audience in the following seasons.