1988–89 Charlotte Hornets season
1988–89 Charlotte Hornets season
- The Hornets’ first NBA season. They joined the league with the Miami Heat as expansion teams. They nearly used the name "Spirit" but settled on "Hornets." A new hornet logo and teal/purple pinstripe uniforms were introduced. Home games were played at the Charlotte Coliseum.
- Expansion moves. In the 1988 expansion draft, Charlotte picked veterans Dell Curry, Muggsy Bogues, Mike Holton, Dave Hoppen, Rickey Green, and Mike Brown (who was traded to the Utah Jazz for Kelly Tripucka). They also signed free agents Kurt Rambis, Earl Cureton, and Robert Reid. With the 8th pick in the 1988 NBA draft, they selected Rex Chapman from Kentucky. Dick Harter was hired as the first head coach.
- First games and season. The preseason opener was October 14, 1988, a 118–97 loss to the New Jersey Nets in New York. The regular-season opener was November 4 at the Charlotte Coliseum, a 133–93 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers (the crowd gave a standing ovation). The Hornets’ first win came on November 8 against the Los Angeles Clippers, 117–105. On December 23 they defeated Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 103–101 in Jordan’s first return to North Carolina as a pro.
- Season result and attendance. The Hornets finished 20–62, last in the Atlantic Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs. Despite the poor record, they led the NBA in home attendance, selling out 36 of 41 home games and drawing 949,858 fans—a record for expansion teams at the time (broken the next season by Minnesota).
- Key players. Kelly Tripucka led the team with 22.6 points per game. Rex Chapman averaged 16.9 ppg, and Robert Reid contributed 14.7 ppg. Rambis added 11.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, and 1.3 spg; Curry averaged 11.9 ppg off the bench in 48 games due to a wrist injury. Muggsy Bogues had 5.4 ppg and 7.8 assists per game. Others: Holton 8.3 ppg; Cureton 6.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg; Hoppen 6.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg.
- Jerseys and logo. The primary logo stayed in use until 2002; the original uniforms lasted until 1997, with later side panels and pinstripes added.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:53 (CET).