Even for Charlotte Hornets fans, it's tough to argue against the notion that the franchise is one of the worst in the NBA at the moment. It doesn't help that it not only has the longest active playoff drought in the league, but it has also gone 23 years without having won a playoff series.
The last time it advanced past the first round of the playoffs was back in 2002 when the Hornets, led by Baron Davis, eliminated Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately, they couldn't get past the eventual Eastern Conference champion, the New Jersey Nets, in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Since then, the team has been out of the Association for two years, returned as the Charlotte Bobcats, and rebranded as the Hornets while acquiring the history and records of the original franchise. What has become a recurring theme throughout the years, though, is how a playoff appearance, let alone success, has eluded it. Since 2002, it has reached that stage just three times, getting swept twice before taking the Miami Heat to a Game 7 in the first round of the 2016 playoffs.
Visual representation of Hornets' playoff futility shows how much worse things are than they seem
What has made it worse for the Hornets and their fans is that no other team has experienced more futility in the playoff wins department during that stretch.
The Sacramento Kings are better by only two years, having advanced to the conference semifinals in 2004 before losing in the first round in their following three playoff appearances over the next two decades. At least Charlotte doesn't own the all-time record for the longest playoff drought. That distinction belongs to the Kings, who missed the playoffs from 2006 to 2023. The bad news for Buzz City is that it just needs seven more years to catch up to Sacramento.
So, the Hornets' top brass has to be feeling some bit of pressure to put together a winning squad. Because if it fails to achieve its goal of creating a sustainable contender in the near future, they will continue to be one of the NBA's laughingstocks.