• Young core led by LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel
• The Charlotte Hornets won the 2025 Summer League Competition
• Seeking first playoff series win since original Hornets era core led by LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller

For Australian basketball fans, the Charlotte Hornets have become a familiar destination.

Sydney-born wing Josh Green established himself as a regular starter during his time in Charlotte, while Mangok Mathiang earned his NBA opportunity with the franchise after forging a remarkable journey from South Sudan to Australia and eventually the world's biggest basketball league.

Today, however, the Hornets are entering a new chapter.

Following the departures of former NBL Next Star LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Josh Green during a dramatic 2026 offseason, Charlotte has committed to building around a fresh young core featuring Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Naz Reid. It is the latest reinvention for a franchise that has experienced expansion, relocation, rebirth and rebranding during almost four decades in the NBA.

Although the Hornets are still searching for their first NBA championship, they have consistently captured the imagination of basketball fans through exciting young talent, iconic uniforms and an unwavering belief that the next great era is just around the corner.

Australians who have played for the Charlotte Hornets

Australia's connection with the Hornets spans multiple generations.

Josh Green

Sydney-born Josh Green joined Charlotte ahead of the 2024-25 season after beginning his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks.

Known for his athleticism, perimeter defence and willingness to do the team's dirty work, Green quickly became a regular starter for the Hornets, appearing in 67 games during his first season with the franchise.

His time in Charlotte came to an end during the 2026 offseason when he was traded alongside LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the deal that brought Naz Reid to North Carolina.

Mangok Mathiang

South Sudanese-Australian centre Mangok Mathiang signed a two-way contract with Charlotte in 2017 after starring in college basketball at Louisville.

Although his NBA opportunities were limited to four games, Mathiang became another Australian-developed player to reach the world's biggest basketball stage.

2026-27 Team Snapshot

The Charlotte Hornets have entered a new era.

After building around LaMelo Ball for five seasons, the franchise dramatically reshaped its roster during the 2026 offseason, signalling a clear shift towards a younger, deeper and more defensively versatile team under head coach Charles Lee, who signed a contract extension as the organisation committed to its long-term vision.

The biggest move came when Charlotte traded former All-Star LaMelo Ball and Australian Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Sixth Man of the Year winner Naz Reid. Days later, the Hornets moved on from leading scorer Miles Bridges, acquiring experienced veterans Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale from the Phoenix Suns.

Charlotte also continued investing in its future by signing first-round picks Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson to rookie contracts, re-signing Coby White, adding veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith and signing Michael Ajayi and Kylan Boswell to two-way deals.

The roster overhaul followed an active trade deadline that also brought Xavier Tillman and Malaki Branham to Charlotte as the front office continued to reshape the roster.

With Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid and Coby White forming the foundation of the franchise, the Hornets believe they have accelerated their rebuild and assembled a roster capable of growing together over the coming seasons.

Identity

Few NBA franchises have experienced a journey quite like the Charlotte Hornets.

Founded as an expansion franchise in 1988, the Hornets quickly became one of basketball's most popular teams despite early struggles on the court. Their distinctive teal and purple uniforms sparked a fashion craze that swept across the NBA during the 1990s, while stars such as Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning and Muggsy Bogues helped establish Charlotte as one of the league's most exciting young teams.

The franchise's story has never been straightforward.

A move to New Orleans, the birth of the Charlotte Bobcats and the eventual return of the Hornets name in 2014 created one of the most unique histories in American professional sport.

Through every change, one thing has remained constant.

The Hornets have always represented hope.

Whether it was the excitement surrounding Larry Johnson in the early 1990s, Kemba Walker carrying the franchise through difficult years or today's young core beginning another rebuild, Charlotte has continually looked towards the future with optimism.

That resilience has become the Hornets' defining characteristic.

Larry Johnson gave Charlotte its first superstar

The Hornets announced themselves to the NBA with personality.

After entering the league in 1988, Charlotte endured the growing pains typical of an expansion franchise before selecting Larry Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.

Johnson changed everything.

The powerful forward won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1992 and quickly developed into one of basketball's biggest personalities. Alongside Alonzo Mourning and the diminutive but fearless Muggsy Bogues, Johnson helped transform the Hornets into one of the NBA's most entertaining young teams.

Charlotte reached the playoffs for the first time in 1993 before recording 50 wins just two seasons later, signalling that the franchise had arrived.

Although Johnson and Mourning would eventually depart, they established the Hornets as far more than just another expansion team.

The Glen Rice years

The departure of Alonzo Mourning could have set Charlotte back.

Instead, it ushered in another successful chapter.

Acquired in the trade that sent Mourning to Miami, Glen Rice became one of the NBA's premier scorers and helped lead the Hornets to the best regular season in franchise history.

Surrounded by veterans including Vlade Divac, Dell Curry, Anthony Mason and Muggsy Bogues, Charlotte won 54 games during the 1996-97 season, a franchise record that still stands.

Rice's elite shooting and effortless scoring made the Hornets one of the Eastern Conference's most dangerous teams and cemented the franchise's reputation for exciting, offensive basketball.

While a deep playoff run remained elusive, this era produced some of the most successful teams in Charlotte basketball history.

The move to New Orleans and the return of the Hornets

The Hornets' biggest challenge came away from the basketball court.

Following the 2001-02 season, declining attendance and ownership disputes led the franchise to relocate to New Orleans, ending Charlotte's first NBA chapter after 14 seasons.

Basketball returned to the city just two years later when the NBA awarded Charlotte an expansion franchise, the Bobcats, for the 2004-05 season. Although the team struggled to establish itself on the court, it ensured the NBA remained in one of basketball's traditional heartlands.

Everything came full circle in 2014.

After the New Orleans franchise rebranded as the Pelicans, Charlotte officially reclaimed the Hornets name along with the original franchise's history and records. It was more than a name change—it reunited the city with the identity that had made it one of the NBA's most recognisable expansion teams.

Michael Jordan's influence

Few people have shaped the Hornets more than Michael Jordan.

Initially joining the organisation as a minority owner before becoming the NBA's first former player to hold a controlling ownership stake, Jordan oversaw one of the most significant periods in franchise history.

Results on the court were mixed, but Jordan's greatest legacy came through restoring the Hornets identity in 2014 and strengthening the club's connection with Charlotte and North Carolina.

His ownership concluded in 2023 when Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall purchased the controlling interest in the franchise, beginning another new chapter for the organisation.

Kemba Walker became the face of the franchise

Every franchise searches for a player who embodies its city.

For Charlotte, that player was Kemba Walker.

Selected ninth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, Walker developed from an exciting young point guard into the greatest player in Hornets history. A four-time NBA All-Star, he became the franchise's all-time leading scorer while consistently carrying Charlotte through one of its most competitive periods.

Although playoff success remained limited, Walker's leadership, scoring ability and loyalty made him one of the NBA's most respected guards.

His legacy extends beyond statistics.

Walker gave Hornets fans a genuine superstar during a period when the franchise desperately needed one.

The LaMelo Ball era

When the Hornets selected LaMelo Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, optimism returned to Charlotte.

Ball immediately injected excitement into the franchise with his spectacular passing, creativity and fearless style of play, winning NBA Rookie of the Year in 2021.

Alongside Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and later Kon Knueppel, Ball represented the foundation of Charlotte's rebuild.

However, injuries repeatedly interrupted the team's progress, limiting Ball's availability and preventing the Hornets from building sustained momentum.

His time in Charlotte ended during the 2026 offseason when he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the franchise's latest rebuild.

Although the Hornets never reached the playoffs during Ball's tenure, he helped restore excitement around the organisation and laid the groundwork for the young roster that followed.

The greatest Hornets of all time

Every era of Charlotte basketball has produced players who shaped the franchise's identity.

Larry Johnson became the Hornets' first genuine superstar, while Alonzo Mourning established himself as one of the NBA's elite centres during the franchise's formative years.

Dell Curry became one of the league's greatest sixth men and remains one of the most beloved figures in Charlotte basketball history. Glen Rice led the franchise to its best regular-season record, while Muggsy Bogues became one of the NBA's most inspiring players despite standing just 160 centimetres tall.

Kemba Walker sits comfortably among the greatest Hornets of all time after becoming the franchise's all-time leading scorer and a four-time All-Star.

LaMelo Ball re-energised the organisation during the early 2020s, while Brandon Miller now carries the responsibility of leading Charlotte's next generation.

Five Fast Facts

1. The Hornets were one of four NBA expansion teams introduced in 1988.

2. Charlotte's original teal-and-purple uniforms sparked one of basketball's biggest fashion trends during the 1990s.

3. The nickname "Hornets" dates back to the American Revolutionary War, when British General Charles Cornwallis described Charlotte as "a hornet's nest of rebellion."

4. Dell Curry became the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired.

5. The Hornets won the 2025 NBA Summer League championship behind Finals MVP Kon Knueppel.

Historical Timeline

• ‍1988: Charlotte Hornets enter the NBA as an expansion franchise.‍
• 1991: Draft Larry Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick.‍
• 1992: Larry Johnson wins NBA Rookie of the Year.‍
• 1993: Charlotte qualifies for the NBA Playoffs for the first time.‍
• 2002: Original franchise relocates to New Orleans.‍
• 2004: Charlotte returns to the NBA as the Bobcats.‍
• 2006: Michael Jordan becomes minority owner and Head of Basketball Operations.‍
• 2011: Draft Kemba Walker with the ninth overall pick.‍
• 2014: Franchise officially reclaims the Charlotte Hornets name and history.‍
• 2020: Draft NBL Next Star LaMelo Ball.‍
• 2021: LaMelo Ball wins NBA Rookie of the Year.‍
• 2023: Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall become majority owners.‍
• 2025: Charlotte wins its first NBA Summer League championship.‍
• 2026: LaMelo Ball traded to Minnesota as the franchise begins another rebuild around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.

Franchise Records

• NBA Championships: 0
• Conference championships: 0
• Division championships: 0
• Playoff appearances: 10
• Best regular-season record: 54-28 (1996-97)
• All-time leading scorer: Kemba Walker — 12,009 points
• All-time leading rebounder: Emeka Okafor
• All-time assists leader: Muggsy Bogues
• All-time steals leader: Kemba Walker
• All-time blocks leader: Alonzo Mourning
• Retired numbers: 1 (Dell Curry No. 30)
• Hall of Fame players: 10+

Looking ahead

The Charlotte Hornets have never stopped believing that their best basketball lies ahead.

From the excitement of Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning to the consistency of Kemba Walker and the creativity of LaMelo Ball, every generation has brought renewed hope to one of the NBA's youngest franchises.

Now, another chapter begins.

With Brandon Miller emerging as the face of the franchise, Kon Knueppel representing one of the NBA's brightest young prospects, Naz Reid adding proven experience and Charles Lee guiding a rapidly evolving roster, Charlotte has committed to building patiently rather than chasing shortcuts.

The Hornets remain one of the NBA's few franchises still searching for a breakthrough run to the Conference Finals and, ultimately, a first NBA championship.

For a club built on resilience, reinvention and optimism, that dream continues to drive everything the Hornets do.