The Charlotte Hornets All-Time GOAT Pyramid

We have come to a bittersweet time in our all-time GOAT pyramid series. The end has arrived with our final NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, as we travel through time and break down the players that make up the top five tiers in franchise history. Since 1989, the Hornets have built their legacy from the ground up, and although it hasn't resulted in the ultimate prize of an NBA championship, their story needs to be told. It is as important as any other franchise in league history. These 25 players are the ones who helped build that legacy and include ones who will continue to build it into the future. 

Tier 1

Kemba Walker

When he was drafted ninth overall by the Hornets in 2011, Kemba Walker had no idea he would go on to become the greatest player in Charlotte basketball history. Then known as the Bobcats, Charlotte banked their future on Walker which paid off. Over the next eight seasons, Walker averaged 19.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Walker would earn four All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection in 2019. With his 12,009 points scored in a Charlotte uniform, Walker became the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer and ranks first in shots made and three-point field goals made. He also ranks second in assists and third in steals in franchise history to solidify his case for their GOAT.

Tier 2

Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues, Glen Rice, Gerald Wallace

Tier 2 features five former Hornets/Bobcats players who have a strong case of their own to possibly be included with Walker in Tier 1. Larry Johnson was the first overall pick of the Hornets in 1991 and went on to win Rookie of the Year honors with 19.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. He would play a total of five seasons with the Hornets, earning two All-Star selections and one All-NBA Team selection averaging 19.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on 49.6% shooting.

Alonzo Mourning was the Hornets’ second overall pick the year after Johnson in 1992. Even though his career would begin with just three seasons in Charlotte, Mourning’s arrival made the franchise a playoff contender for the first time. In those three seasons, Mourning was an All-Star twice who averaged 21.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.2% from the field.

While being one of the shortest players in NBA history is how everyone remembers Muggsy Bogues, his place in Charlotte Hornets history was well earned in 10 seasons from 1989 through 1998. Standing 5’3’’ tall, Bogues dedicated a decade of his career to the Hornets, where he became the all-time leader in both assists and steals. Bogues averaged 8.8 points, 8.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game with the Hornets while also being the starting point guard for three Hornets playoff teams in 1992, 1995, and 1997.

A sharpshooter from the early days of the franchise as well, Glen Rice makes his way onto Tier 2 with just three seasons with the Hornets from 1996 through 1998. During this time, Rice was one of the very best scorers in the NBA, averaging 23.5 points on 47/44/85 shooting splits. Rice would be an All-Star all three seasons he played in Charlotte and a two-time All-NBA Team selection. In 1997, Rice would finish fifth in MVP voting, shooting 47.0% from three on 5.6 attempts and averaging 26.8 points per game.

The final member of Tier 2 is Gerald Wallace who was a member of the Charlotte Bobcats from 2005-2011. Wallace was a two-way star for the Bobcats who averaged 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in 454 games played. In 2010, Wallace earned All-Star and All-Defensive First Team honors when he averaged 18.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on 48.4% shooting.

Tier 3

Dell Curry, Anthony Mason, Eddie Jones, Al Jefferson, Baron Davis, Emeka Okafor, LaMelo Ball

Before Stephen Curry had taken the NBA by storm with his three-point shooting, his father Dell did the same with the Hornets from 1989-1998. Curry was never selected as an All-Star but was named the NBA’s Sixth Man in 1994 averaging 16.3 points per game on 40.2% shooting from three off the bench. In his decade-long tenure in Charlotte, Curry averaged 14.0 points per game on 40.5% shooting from deep and finished top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting five times.

Anthony Mason had a short three-year stint with the Hornets as well from 1997 through 2000. In his first season with the team in 1997, Mason was named to the All-Defensive Second Team and All-NBA Third Team averaging 16.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Mason would play two more seasons in Charlotte, missing the 1999 season with an arm injury.

Eddie Jones’ career with the Charlotte Hornets lasted just 102 games after being traded from the Miami Heat during the 1998-99 season. In his only full season with the Hornets in 2000, Jones was an All-Star, All-NBA Third Team, and All-Defensive Second Team averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and an NBA-leading 2.7 steals per game on 42.7% shooting.

All Jefferson graced the court for the Charlotte Bobcats and Hornets from 2015 through 2017. In his 185 games played with the franchise, Jefferson averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game on 49.5% shooting from the floor. He helped the team make two playoff appearances in 2014 and 2016, both of which resulted in first-round losses.

Baron Davis was one of the most electric players in the Hornets' history from 2000 through 2002 before the team made the move to New Orleans and switched to the Bobcats. Davis played three seasons under the Hornets nickname, averaging 12.6 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. In 2002, Davis became an All-Star for the first time as well as an All-NBA Third Team selection with 22.9 points, 7.5 assists, and a league-leading 2.4 steals per game.

As the second overall pick by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004, Emeka Okafor had enormous expectations placed upon him from the moment he stepped on the court. Things got off to a hot start when he won the 2005 Rookie of the Year with 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. He would cool off as time went on but in five seasons, he averaged 14.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game in 320 games played for Charlotte.

The final member of Tier 3 is one of the future faces of the franchise I referred to earlier. LaMelo Ball fell into the Hornets’ lap at third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft and soon rewarded them for their fortune. He was named the 2021 Rookie of the Year and followed that up with an All-Star selection in 2022. Despite struggles with injuries the last two seasons, Ball has shown he has all the potential and talent in the world to one day become the greatest player in franchise history.

Tier 4

Kendall Gill, Jamal Mashburn, Stephen Jackson, Terry Rozier, Jason Richardson

Tier 4 of the Hornets’ all-time GOAT pyramid features six important figures in the history of their franchise. Kendall Gill was with the Hornets for a total of four seasons in his career and averaged 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on 45.9% shooting Gill was the fifth overall pick of the team in 1990 and would go on to help them make their first playoff appearance ever in 1993.

Jamal Mashburn was technically with the Hornets for just two seasons in 2001 and 2002 before the team was sold and moved to New Orleans. During those two seasons, Mashburn was elite, averaging 20.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 41.1% shooting. Following his two seasons in Charlotte, Mashburn would earn the only All-Star and All-NBA Team selections of his career in 2003 with New Orleans.

Say what you will about Stephen Jackson’s NBA career as a journeyman but he delivered more often than not. In 139 career games with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010 and 2011, Jackson averaged 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 41.8%. Jackson helped lead the team to the playoffs in 2010, averaging 21.1 points per game after being dealt to the Bobcats midseason from Golden State.

Terry Rozier spent the last four and a half seasons with the Charlotte Hornets before a trade deadline deal landed him in Miami with the Heat. During his time with the Hornets, Rozier was a scoring machine, averaging 20.0 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game as well. While his numbers looked great, it never translated on the team level with the Hornets missing the playoff every season he was there.

The final member of Tier 5 was another impactful yet brief player for the Bobcats during the late 2000s. Jason Richardson played 96 games for Charlotte in 2008 and 2009, averaging 21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game on 44.1% shooting. Richardson averaged 21.8 points per game in his only full season with the team in 2008 while starting all 82 games as shooting guard.

Tier 5

Miles Bridges, Cody Zeller, David Wesley, Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Elden Campbell, Tyson Chandler

The final seven players on the Charlotte Hornets’ all-time GOAT pyramid make up the final tier and base of the pyramid. Fifth-year forward Miles Bridges kicks things off on this tier for his development since being drafted by the Hornets 12th overall in 2018. In this time, Bridges has averaged 14.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game on 46.9% shooting.

Cody Zeller was with the Hornets organization for eight seasons from 2014 through 2021 where he became a cult hero of sorts for their fanbase through some pretty trying times as a team. In eight seasons, Zeller averaged 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while bringing an energy and passion for the game on the court that was matched by few across the NBA at the time.

David Wesley played five seasons for the Charlotte Hornets from 1998 through 2002. During that time, he averaged 14.5 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. It was by far his best run with any team he played for in his career, helping them reach the playoffs four times including the second round in 2001.

Former first-round draft pick Marvin Williams played five-plus seasons for the Hornets from 2015 through 2020 after a seven-year career with the Hawks. In his time with Charlotte, Williams averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 43.7% shooting from the floor.

Raymond Felton was the fifth overall pick of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2005 following a successful college career at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. After finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2006, Felton would have a decent career in Charlotte, averaging 13.3 points, 6.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 41.0% shooting.

Toward the end of his NBA career, Elden Campbell made a three-year stop in Charlotte from 1999 through 2002. In these four seasons, Campbell was plenty productive, averaging 13.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Campbell and the Hornets made three playoff appearances together where he averaged 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Closing things out for the Hornets on their all-time GOAT pyramid is Tyson Chandler. Playing just one season with the team in 2010, Chandler emerged as one of the better lob threats and defensive big men in the entire NBA. While most of his accomplishments would come later in his career, his ascent to greatness began as a Bobcat in 2010.

For reference to our selection process, you can take a look at the previous NBA franchise GOAT Pyramids below.

- The Denver Nuggets All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Orlando Magic All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Indiana Pacers All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Oklahoma City Thunder All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Minnesota Timberwolves All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Washington Wizards All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Utah Jazz All-Time Goat Pyramid

- The Portland Trail Blazers All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Toronto Raptors All-Time GOAT Pyramid

- The Atlanta Hawks All-Time GOAT Pyramid