INSIDE THE NBA
CHARLOTTE
HORNETS
BY DAVID J. CLARKE
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Published by Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis,
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Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota.
052022
092022
Cover Photo: Jacob Kupferman/AP Images
Interior Photos: Melinda Nagy/Shutterstock Images, 1; Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
Sport/Getty Images, 4; Louis Lopez/Modern Exposure/Cal Sport Media/ZUMA Wire/
AP Images, 7; Jacob Kupferman/AP Images, 9; Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Sport/Getty
Images, 11; Focus on Sport/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images, 12, 16, 27, 34; Jim Gund/
Getty Images Sport/Getty Images, 15; Chuck Burton/AP Images, 19, 21; Hakim Wright
Sr./AP Images, 22; Winslow Townson/AP Images, 24; Rick Havner/AP Images, 29; Jeffrey
Phelps/AP Images, 30; Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images, 33; Al
Messerschmidt/AP Images, 36; John Raoux/AP Images, 38; Wilfredo Lee/AP Images, 39;
Derick Hingle/AP Images, 41
Editor: Charlie Beattie
Series Designer: Joshua Olson
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021951671
Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Clarke, David J., author.
Title: Charlotte Hornets / by David J. Clarke
Description: Minneapolis, Minnesota : Abdo Publishing, 2023 | Series: Inside the NBA |
Includes online resources and index.
Identifiers: ISBN 9781532198212 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 9781098271862 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Charlotte Hornets (Basketball team : 2014- )--Juvenile literature. |
Basketball--Juvenile
literature. | Professional sports--Juvenile literature. | Sports franchises--Juvenile
literature.
Classification: DDC 796.32364--dc23
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME .....
CHAPTER TWO
HORNETS HISTORY ..............
CHAPTER THREE
CHARLOTTES
SHOOTING STARS ................
CHAPTER FOUR
HORNETS HIGHLIGHTS .........
TIMELINE 42
TEAM FACTS 44
TEAM TRIVIA 45
GLOSSARY 46
MORE INFORMATION 47
ONLINE RESOURCES 47
INDEX 48
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 48
CHAPTER ONE
A WHOLE NEW
BALL GAME
C
harlotte Hornets fans held their breath. Adam Silver walked
to the podium holding a large envelope. In mere moments,
the National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner would
read a name that could change the course of the long-suffering
franchise. But would it be the name many of them expected?
The NBA Draft is one of the most important events in the
off-season. Its when all the teams get to select new players
who are entering the league. Teams who struggled the
previous season are higher in the draft order. If a team makes
the right selection, its fortunes can change overnight.
The Hornets were one of those struggling teams after
the 201920 season. They had not made the playoffs in five
years. The fans in Charlotte had not seen a playoff series
victory in nearly two decades. Attendance was low at games,
despite basketball being wildly popular in North Carolina.
LaMelo Balls arrival before the 202021 season created newfound
excitement in Charlotte.
Charlotte supporters hoped the draft would give them
something to look forward to.
The 2020 draft didnt have an obvious first choice. Many
experts said one of any three players were worthy of the
pick. Many Hornets fans had just one player in mind, though.
They watched as Silver came out to announce the first
pick. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected guard Anthony
Edwards. Next, the Golden State Warriors grabbed center
James Wiseman. That left the
one player many Hornets fans
wanted still on the board. Finally,
Silver opened the envelope to
reveal whether their wish had
come true.
With the third pick in the
2020 NBA Draft, Silver read, the
Charlotte Hornets select LaMelo
Ball from Chino Hills, California.
THE PHENOM
ARRIVES
Although he was young, Ball was
already famous in basketball
circles. He had been talked
about as a future star since he
A Rebellious Name
The image of a hornets nest has
long been a symbol for the city
of Charlotte. And that made the
nickname Hornets an easy choice
for the franchise in 1988. One story
says the name dates to the American
Revolution (17751783). The Battle
of Charlotte was fought in 1780. After
the battle, British general George
Cornwallis supposedly referred to
the Charlotte area as a hornets nest
of rebellion. No one knows if this
story is true, but it has stuck through
the years.
was 12 years old. His older brother Lonzo was already an NBA
standout. The brothers outspoken father, LaVar, had long been
hyping up his sons on social media or to anyone who asked.
Hornets fans were thrilled to have a player who might
be special. The 6-foot-7-inch guard was a dangerous scoring
threat. But he also had great passing ability. Some scouts
compared him to former NBA great point guards Jason Kidd
and Anfernee Hardaway.
