- Home court: Spectrum Center
- G.M: Mitch Kupchak
- Coach: Steve Clifford
- Star: P LaMelo Ball
- 2021 Season: 43-39, failed to make the playoffs.
- NBA Titles: None
- Greatest Player: G Kemba Walker
- Factoid: The Hornets are the only North American sports franchise to be owned by the greatest player to have played the sport – Michael Jordan.
Imagine being a fledgling inventor. Every day you leave for work at a top-tier company, hoping to create something never seen before. But you walk into the lobby every morning and there, sipping his morning coffee, is company owner Albert Einstein.
Talk about pressure. Talk about intimidation.
Perhaps this is what it feels like being a member of the Charlotte Hornets. Every day you show up for work knowing the greatest of all time is somewhere in the building.
You can debate with your buddies if that statement is true. Some believe center Kareem Adbul-Jabbar is the greatest. Others believe it’s LeBron James. Some prefer Kobe Bryant.
But there’s no way the name Michael Jordan doesn’t enter into the debate, and most would agree His Airness is the greatest.
This is not up for debate. Jordan changed the way the game is played. He literally took it to new heights, playing the game above the rim with a flair and athleticism that left fans and opponents in a state of euphoric disbelief.
But Jordan has yet to prove himself to be one of the great owners. Since purchasing controlling interests in the team in March of 2010, the Hornets have made the playoffs just three times. They have yet to win a playoff series.
It brings up a familiar narrative: Many of the greatest athletes don’t succeed as coaches. They can’t relate to players that aren’t as great as they were.
Jordan presents a new dynamic. Most owners weren’t elite athletes, certainly not among the greatest to ever play the game. In a way, Jordan is a one-man trial case.
The marriage between Jordan and Charlotte is a match made in Carolina Blue heaven. Jordan, of course, starred at North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels to an NCAA Championship.
Should the Hornets ever win an NBA title, it would be a story for the ages. For now, Charlotte needs to assemble a roster of players who aren’t intimated playing for the franchise owned by the greatest who ever played the game.