By Cameron Lee
October 19, 2024
Photo: Myicha Drakeford / CLTure
If you know anyone who lived in Charlotte in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, ask them about the hysteria that took over the city after the Hornets were awarded the NBA’s 24th franchise. On December 23, 1988, in the team’s inaugural year, the Hornets upset a young Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls with a last-second put-back shot by Kurt Rambis. The game marked the first of 371 consecutive sold-out games (including the playoffs) for the franchise, which lasted through November 25, 1997. As the first major professional sports team in the state, the old Coliseum, or “The Hive,” was home to some of the most fervent fans in the league, packing out the 24,000-seat venue for each game– the largest arena in the NBA at the time.
But that was three decades ago and, with an average age of around 25, most of the players on the Hornets’ current roster were too young to witness or experience those glory years at The Hive, and the impact the original brand and logo had on sports culture.
When Seth Curry was born in 1992, his father Dell, who was drafted second overall in the 1988 NBA Expansion Draft by the Hornets, was entering his seventh season in the league. In that 1992-93 season, the Hornets earned their first playoff berth on the shoulders of second-year phenom, Larry Johnson (or “Grandmama,” popularized by his Converse commercials), and rookie All-American from Georgetown, Alonzo Mourning. Dell threw the sideline pass to Mourning who hit the epic 20-foot shot at the top of the key that clinched the franchise’s first playoff series win against the Celtics.
Seth’s earliest basketball memories were at the old Charlotte Coliseum, where he and his older brother Steph, would roam freely as the sons of one of the city’s first and most beloved players.
“I remember a good amount, just the energy in there. I mean, big crowds every single night. Back then, they would just let us have access to whatever. We were running all around the locker room, the tunnel, all that type of stuff,” Seth said. “They even let us go on the court sometimes before the game and shoot…We were hitting shots and getting cheers from fans right before they came out for the layup line…it was some pretty good memories.”
Seth’s history with the city and organization runs deep, having grown up in the Queen City as an All-State basketball star at Charlotte Christian School. The opportunity to wear the No. 30 for the first time in the classic edition 1997-2002 jerseys for his hometown Hornets was truly a full-circle moment for the 11-year NBA veteran.
“It was always a dream to be able to play here and wear that jersey that my dad wore. So, it was cool, especially last year, wearing the throwback uniforms he actually wore. That was the first game, yeah, the first game,” he said.
Seth wants to restore that pride and convey to his teammates what the Charlotte fanbase could be like with a perennial playoff team in the city.
“Talking in the locker room with some of the younger guys…they definitely know it means a lot to me to play here, for my city, for the Hornets,” Seth said.
Another player back home in the city is Grant Williams; a West Charlotte native who led Providence Day to a state championship in 2016, joined the Hornets in a trade deadline deal last year with Seth from Dallas. He connects with a different era of professional basketball in the city, though. Williams, a two-time SEC Player of the Year and 2019 consensus first-team All-American, grew up following the Bobcats.
“I started watching right around the years of Emeka and Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin and all those guys, Gerald Wallace, Corey Maggette,” he said.
He recalled his high school friend Jonathon Hoppe, who is now a sports reporter for WBRC 6 News in Birmingham, Alabama, starting a small campaign to bring back the Hornets name.
“We were trying to petition Charlotte to change back to the Hornets, because it was only right. It was super cool, you know, when it finally ended up happening. We were upset that the logo didn’t stay the same. But I remember that like it was yesterday,” Williams said.
Williams’ first time sitting courtside at a Bobcats game was a memorable night in 2013, when Steph dropped 43 points for the Warriors. That evening he also got to see Andre Iguodala play. Iguodala was a teammate of Williams’ cousin Salim Stoudemire (brother of Damon Stoudemire) at Arizona. Ten years later in 2023, Williams replaced Igoudala as the First Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association. Also in the building that evening was North Carolina’s own J. Cole.
“It’s kind of a small world moment now that he’s an owner of the team. Seeing him [J. Cole]…playing in front of the hometown crowd…every day I go out there, I’m appreciative,” Williams said.
Williams is by far one of the most compelling players on the team. The multilingual, chess-loving academic, who also plays several instruments, passed up on Ivy League life to play basketball at Tennessee. The three-star recruit coming out of Providence Day was selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Celtics, after a stellar college career. His polymathic personality mirrors his skill set on the court, as a high-IQ, versatile defender who can also space the floor hitting threes.
“He’s a natural leader, a natural vocal leader, and he’s kind of a do-it-all type of guy on the floor,” Seth said of Williams. “He’s willing to do the dirty work, be physical, be unselfish, but also, he shoots the ball well. So he’s the guy who can play a lot of different roles out there for us.”
Both Charlotte natives aim to bring a sense of community and stability to the Hornets’ locker room. While Seth’s role on the court may be a little more limited, Williams knows he will still play a pivotal role.
“He’s [Seth] a personality in the locker room that has been through a lot, been on a lot of great teams…a veteran presence that not only can play minutes for us every night, but also the guy in the locker room that people can ask a question, if they really are going through something,” Williams said of Seth.
Williams says he wants to bring a “stoic” energy to the team as a “hyper-competitor,” and isn’t concerned with being the “loudest voice in the room.” Instead, he wants to be a player and person his teammates can count on.
If the Hornets bring back the basketball hysteria that took over a burgeoning city 35 years ago, they will rely heavily on their newly extended franchise player LaMelo Ball and second-year standout Brandon Miller on the court. But with new ownership, front office, a young coach, and state-of-the-art arena upgrades and facilities on the way, there’s no question that Charlotte’s native sons are the bridge into a new era.
The Hornets kick off the 2024-25 NBA season on October 23 against the Houston Rockets with the home opener on October 26 against the Miami Heat.
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