A lot of people have been looking forward to the Naismith Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony for the Class of 2024, more so after the event was moved from August to October to give way to the Paris Olympics.
Several former stars will be joining an elite group of past hoopsters, headlined by first-ballot inductee Vince Carter. There was no doubt about the retired high-flyer's chances of becoming a Hall of Famer, as his contribution to the sport is immeasurable.
Joining him are other legends, including a pair of NBA champions who some believe should have been inducted long ago: Chauncey Billups and Michael Cooper. Another notable entry is the late Jerry West, who will be enshrined for the third time.
The Hornets have yet to see a franchise icon in the HOF
Unfortunately, the Charlotte Hornets organization still doesn't have a true representative in the Hall of Fame. There are four current members who briefly donned a Hornets jersey, and none of them can say that their most productive or notable years as a professional hooper came during their respective stints in Charlotte.
Hopefully, that will change sometime in the future. But before that, we rank the only Hall of Famers to have ever played for the Hive based on how their tenure with the team played out.
4. Robert Parish (inducted in 2003)
Many have probably forgotten that Robert Parish once suited up for the Hornets. After all, he is best known as a longtime Boston Celtics legend whose career started with the Golden State Warriors. He also joined the Chicago Bulls in the 1996-97 campaign before retiring from the sport. However, prior to winning one more ring playing alongside Michael Jordan, "Chief" had a two-year stop with the Hornets.
His time in Charlotte was uneventful, though, as he was already past 40 when he decided to sign with the organization. Through two seasons on the Hornets, Parish recorded 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. Most notably, he had the most inefficient stretch of his career playing in Charlotte, sinking just 45.5% of his field-goal attempts.
The four-time champion's time with the Hive was somewhat eventful. He was part of a talented squad that underachieved and experienced internal turmoil in the 1994-95 campaign.
Charlotte managed to reach the playoffs as the fourth seed, only to lose in the first round to a Chicago Bulls squad led by a recently unretired Jordan. Perhaps the team would have had a better chance of going far in the playoffs had Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson seen eye to eye.
The following season saw the Hornets linger in mediocrity, although one of the highlights of their 1995-96 campaign was dealing the Bulls one of their then-record 10 losses. Parish played well in that game, putting up five points and 11 rebounds as a starter.