Ranking the former Hornets players inducted into the Hall of Fame
By Orel Dizon
2. Vlade Divac (inducted in 2019)
Perhaps the best draft pick in Charlotte Hornets history was made in 1996 when the organization used its 13th selection on Kobe Bryant. But as we all know, the late legend never played a single minute in a Hornets uniform, as he was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The deal almost didn't materialize the way it did because former Lakers big man Vlade Divac contemplated retiring from the NBA upon learning about the trade.
Of course, the Serbian icon came to his senses, and it was arguably for the better that he agreed to be shipped to Charlotte. He had a stellar first year with the Hornets, continuing to be a double-double threat (12.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game). Moreover, Divac made team history in the 1996-97 campaign when he blocked 12 shots during a regular-season bout versus the New Jersey Nets.
The former NBA All-Rookie First-Team selection was also a member of the Hornets crew that notched a franchise-record 54 wins.
Divac played one more season in Charlotte, helping it eclipse the 50-win mark again and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for only the second time in the organization's history. He then left town to join the Sacramento Kings in 1998, finishing his brief Hornets tenure with averages of 11.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per match.