Remembering the Charlotte Hornets 30 years later: The very first win

We continue our series looking back at the first 30 years of Charlotte Hornets basketball by turning back the clock to November 8, 1988, a day that saw the Hornets earn its very first win in franchise history over the Los Angeles Clippers.

There's always a first time for everything

After dropping the first two games of the 1988-89 inaugural campaign, the Charlotte Hornets entered that evening's game against the Los Angeles Clippers on the home floor of the Charlotte Coliseum, and as the old saying goes, "There's always a first time for everything."  Many of us remember our first day of school, that first kiss, even getting that first house or card, but for the Hornets they had to get that first win not knowing the fact that George Shinn would suffer a stroke earlier in the day.  It occurred during an interview with the local Charlotte media when they asked about a possible name change for the 3-month old Coliseum on Tyvola Road Extension, and many of the other media members that were there were wondering where was Charlotte, and why this city deserved an NBA team to play in what was once the largest basketball-specific arena in the NBA when it opened back on August 11, 1988, and when the interview ended, Spencer Stolpen, the team's president at the time, was checking into the offices at 100 Hive Drive, and he did not realize that Shinn would suffer a stroke, causing concern for the 18,865 fans that were headed to that evening's game at "The Hive", but as the saying goes, "The Game Must Go On."

Crossing the threshold of victory for the first time

The game did go on, and in that game against the Clippers, fans would witness another first in Charlotte Hornets history, as Kurt Rambis would record the very first double-double in franchise history, as he would finish with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, while adding in 14 rebounds for the first 10+ rebound game in Hornet history, while Kelly Tripucka would lead the way for Charlotte with a game-high 24 points, and when the final horn sounded, the Hornets would taste victory for the very first time, as they would send the 18,865 home happy with a 117-105 win over the L.A. Clippers, and afterwards, the team would sign a ball and presented it to George Shinn to honor that first win in franchise history.

The Charlotte Hornets first win on November 8, 1988 is another in a long and storied chapter of NBA basketball in Charlotte, as we continue to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that first Hornets season back in 1988-89.

Hornets Extra: December 23, 1988: A date that will live in Charlotte NBA history.

Today marks a date of historic significance in the 25 year history of Charlotte NBA basketball, as one game would become a turning point in the history of a young franchise back in their inaugural season of 1988-89, as the Charlotte Hornets, who were just 6-17 at the time were preparing to face Michael Jordan, who is of course the owner of the new version of the Hornets, and the Chicago Bulls, who were 13-10 before a sellout crowd of 23,388 at the Charlotte Coliseum and a national television audience on SuperStation WTBS in a game that would put Charlotte on the map as a NBA hotbed.

December 23rd,1988 wasn't your typical Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, a city of 350,000 residents at the time, as many of us Charlotteans were either out doing some last minute Christmas shopping, or flying in and out of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to visit our families for the holidays.  For the Charlotte Hornets, a young expansion franchise that was finding it's way around the NBA in its second month of existence, they were hoping to give the fans something to cheer about.

It would come in the form of Michael Jordan playing in his first professional basketball game in his home state as a member of the Chicago Bulls, the Hornets opponent that night at the Coliseum, and believe me, the place was jam packed with those wearing Purple and Teal on that December night in 1988.

The turning point of that night's game was in the final quarter of action, as many of the sellout crowd that were there, while the rest of us were either watching the game on television, or listening to the game on the Hornets flagship radio station at the time, 1110 WBT, whose 50,000 watt signal would reach "From Canada to Cuba", were all wondering what would happen next.  Chicago was up 85-77 at the time, but the Hornets would eventually go on a run of 10-0 to capture the lead at 87-85, as Tim Kempton would come off the bench for Charlotte with his six points to help the cause.

Jordan, who eventually led all scorers with 33 points in his first NBA game back in North Carolina, would make a layup to tie up the game at 101, and with less than 26 seconds left in regulation, everyone inside Charlotte Coliseum was on their feet to find out if the Hornets would send it to overtime, or go for the win. For the team's first head coach, Dick Harter, he knew that if you wanted to send the crowd home happy, go for the win.

Charlotte would get the ball with 26 seconds left in regulation, and with less than three seconds left in the game, Hornets guard Robert Reid would miss his potential game-winning shot, then it would come to forward Kurt Rambis, who would get it off the rim, and he got the ball back when they got a fresh 24 on the shot clock as he would put a stickback basket at the buzzer, to give the Hornets a 103-101 win, sending the 23,388 into a frenzy that night at the Coliseum, as the game would signal the beginning of "Hornets Hysteria", when the Charlotte Coliseum would sellout night after night for the next 364 Hornets games, while going on to lead the league in attendance in 8 out of 10 seasons.

If you're a Hornets fan since that first season in 1988-89, you knew that this game was indeed a memorable one in Charlotte NBA history, when you combine the 14 seasons of the original Hornets franchise, along with the 10 seasons of the Bobcats era, and many of us still have memories of this game to this very day, as this game against Chicago 26 years ago was truly another memorable moment in Charlotte Hornets history.  

For those of you who were wondering who led the Hornets in scoring that night, it was Kelly Tripucka with 30 points.

Remembering the Charlotte Hornets 25 years later: The game that signaled the birth of "Hornets Hysteria"

As we continue to look back at some of the memorable moments from the Charlotte Hornets first season 25 years ago, we'll be looking back at an historical moment that changed the team, and the city of Charlotte forever 25 years ago yesterday, as "Hornets Hysteria" would be born with a game against North Carolina's native son, who would eventually be the man that would own our current NBA team and the driving force behind our city bringing the "Hornets" name back next season.

The game that marked the birth of "Hornets Hysteria"

It wasn't a typical Friday in Charlotte on that day back on December 23rd, 1988, it was just 2 days before Christmas, and thousands of people living here at that time were just busy getting their Christmas shopping done, while others were either flying in or flying out of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to visit family and friends, and for the Charlotte Hornets, who were 6-17 at the time, they were hard at work preparing for their match-up against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in what would be Jordan's first professional game in his home state before a crowd of 23,388 at the Charlotte Coliseum and a national television audience on SuperStation TBS.

The Hornets were down 85-77 to the Bulls, who were led in scoring by Jordan, who had 33 points, but forward Tim Kempton would provide a little spark for Charlotte off the bench, as his six points would give the Hornets an 87-85 lead with 6:23 left in the game, and with time running out, everyone inside the Coliseum was hoping for a little early-Christmas present, and head coach Dick Harter would come up with a game plan, as Charlotte was tied with Chicago at 101-101 after a Jordan layup, setting the stage for a thrilling finish at "The Hive", and to simply put it, it was truly alive and well that night with just a few seconds left in regulation, as both teams, and those attending the game, watching it on television, or hearing the game on the radio, were on pins and needles as the Hornets needed just one shot to win the game or settle it in overtime, but Rambis was all in, and he wanted to go for the win.

With 26 seconds left in regulation, the Hornets would have the ball, as Robert Reid's jumper attempt was no good with time winding down, and Rambis was right on the spot to recover the loose ball and would stick it in at the buzzer, for the first last-second win in franchise history, and everyone inside the Coliseum would shout in jubilation and the team was jumping for joy, as the Hornets would get what would become one of their signature wins in their first season in Charlotte, defeating the Bulls 103-101, with Kelly Tripucka leading the way with 30 points in the victory for Charlotte. In his post-game press conference,  Harter would give the fans that were there that evening a lot of praise, quoting that "Charlotte, this is your Christmas present." and from that game on, "Hornets Hysteria" was everywhere throughout Charlotte and the Carolinas, as the game that night would make the Charlotte Hornets a household name, while the Charlotte Coliseum would be packed night in and night out for 364 consecutive games.

The way I see it, "Hornets Hysteria" was simply put, something this city needed that day, as it would be an early-Christmas present for the residents of 350,000 people living here at that time who were busy preparing for the holidays, and it was all over our city, as fans wore everything purple and teal and talked about it at work, in sports bars, and everywhere else around our city, as well as throughout North and South Carolina, as people finally took notice about the Charlotte Hornets and adopting them as their hometown NBA team during the first season, and that is something that we are looking forward to recreating next season, when the Bobcats officially change its name to the Hornets for the 2014-15 season and beyond.

"Hornets Hysteria" was indeed another great moment in the first season of the 1988-89 Charlotte Hornets, as we continue to look back at some of the moments from the team's first season 25 years ago and looking ahead to the return of the Hornets next season.

Remembering the Charlotte Hornets 25 years later: The First Win

On selected days during this Charlotte Bobcats season, we are continuing our series looking back at some of the key moments during this, the 25th Anniversary of the Charlotte Hornets first season, and in this installment, we'll be talking about the night that the Hornets would finally notch its first win as a franchise, back on Tuesday November 8, 1988.

A young team earns its first win in franchise history

After dropping the first two games of their 1988-89 inaugural season, the Charlotte Hornets were sitting at 0-2 entering that night's home game against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 8, 1988 at the Charlotte Coliseum before a crowd of 18,865, and on the day of the game, Hornets owner George Shinn was addressing the media about a possible name change for the facility, which opened less than 2 months ago back on August 11, 1988, since many of the media members were trying to figure out where in the world was Charlotte located at during the city's quest to bring an NBA team during the mid-1980's. Some thought Charlotte was located in South Carolina, while others thought it was in Virginia, or West Virginia, but we all know that Charlotte is located right here in North Carolina.  

It was during that meeting with the local media, that Shinn realized that his left arm was shaking, as Spencer Stolpen, the team's president at the time was checking on Shinn to see if he was okay when he came into the offices at 100 Hive Drive on the day of the game, as Stoplen realized that Shinn wasn't feeling good, and coincidentally, Stolpen had to take Shinn to the hospital, as he did not realize that he had suffered a mild stroke earlier in the day during his briefing about the possible name change for the Charlotte Coliseum, and for many of the fans that were making their way out to the Coliseum for the game that night, they were all indeed worried about the man who made it all happen for Charlotte to get an NBA team and transforming it into a major-league sports city.

As for the game that night against the Clippers at home, it would be played as scheduled, and it would see another first in Charlotte Hornets history, the first-ever Double-Double.  It would be recorded by Kurt Rambis, who would score 17 points on just 7-of-9 shooting from the field, to go along with 14 rebounds, while Kelly Tripucka would lead the way for Charlotte with 24 points, as the Hornets would lead by as many as 14 points in the fourth, but with 1:43 left, the Clippers would go on a run to cut the Hornet lead down to six, and during an 11-5 scoring run to wrap up the game, Robert Reid would score six points down the stretch to lift the Charlotte Hornets to its first ever victory in franchise history, with a 117-105 win over the Clippers at "The Hive", sending the 18,865 fans home happy, which was ironically the smallest crowd of the inaugural campaign for the Hornets, with it being Election Day to go along with it, and the players and coaches were indeed worried about George Shinn after he suffered a mild stroke earlier in the day, so they all got together and signed a basketball and gave it to the Hornets owner in honor of the team's first win in franchise history as they literally won it for George.

The Hornets first win on November 8th, 1988 was another special moment in the history of the Charlotte Hornets during the 1988-89 campaign, as we continue to look back at the team's memorable moments from that first season in honor of the 25th Anniversary of their debut, and looking ahead to the long-awaited return of the Hornets to Charlotte in 2014-15.

Remembering the Charlotte Hornets 25 years later: A night to remember

In the 7th and final installment of our series looking back at the 25th Anniversary of the Charlotte Hornets first game, we'll look back at the big day, a day that will live on in the hearts of sports fans in Charlotte, and the Carolinas.

November 4th, 1988.  A day that will live in Charlotte and Carolina sports history forever.  It was more than just a typical day in Charlotte, North Carolina, a city of 350,000 people at the time as this city was about to hit it big on what may be considered an historic day for Charlotte and the Carolinas, it was a day that NBA basketball came to town.  A culmination of 3 1/2 years of planning was all going to become a reality on this night as the Charlotte Hornets took on the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first game in franchise history.

The game wasn't just any regular game, it was more like an Hollywood premiere combined with a gala or awards ceremony, if you get the picture, as the men were all dressed up in tuxedos, while the women wore gowns, and if you were driving down Tyvola Road, you may have saw the searchlights lighting up the sky to lead you to the new Charlotte Coliseum, which was opened 3 1/2 months ago back on August 11, 1988, with the now-infamous scoreboard crash coming a day later on August 12, 1988 and yes, the red carpet was indeed rolled out to welcome the 23,388 attendees to the first game.

Even the Charlotte Symphony was there to provide the pregame entertainment.  It was a festive atmosphere as North Carolina governor Jim Martin, and South Carolina governor Carroll Campbell, both made the journey to honor the man responsible for making the dream of bringing NBA basketball to the Carolinas a reality, George Shinn.

When the pregame festivities all wrapped up, they finally got to the starting lineups, the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to be introduced first, but when the team's first Public Address announcer, John Edwards said "And now, the starting lineups for the Cleveland Cavaliers.....", the Cavaliers remained in the locker room not knowing that the pregame ceremonies all wrapped up.  The Hornets and Cavaliers were getting ready for tip-off, and everyone took out their cameras to capture the moment that would be a memorable one indeed on a night to remember.

The two bright spots that the Charlotte Hornets would have in the game that night was the first basket ever scored in Hornets history as Kelly Tripucka would snag a rebound from Cavaliers center Brad Daugherty and he would put it in the basket with 10:09 left in the opening frame to make it a 4-2 game, and the lone lead of the night for the Hornets would be a 34-32 lead in the second quarter, giving the crowd something to cheer about, in a building that was truly electric, and when I talked to Gerry Valliancourt, the former sports director at the Hornets television flagship at the time, WCCB, and currently the host of "The Gerry V Show" on 730 The Game(WZGV-AM) in 2008, he said that the crowd noise was indeed a factor.  "The noise was a factor and I couldn't hear myself during the broadcast." quoted Valliancourt.

Another of the bright spots from opening night was the public debut of the team's official mascot, Hugo the Hornet, which was created by Cheryl Henson, the daughter of famed Muppets creator Jim Henson, as he would receive rave reviews from the sellout crowd on Opening Night.

But in the end, the Cavs would spoil the inaugural game for the Charlotte Hornets, going on a 34-10 run in the second quarter, and evenutally putting it away as they would roll on to a 133-93 win, and when the game ended, the Hornets would receive a standing ovation from the crowd acknowledging their support in the first game, despite being on the losing end of the scoreboard, to cap off a very special night in history.

The next morning, Ron Green, Sr., the long-time sports writer for The Charlotte Observer, would give his own take on the Hornets first game, stating that "It was a good day, the most exciting in Charlotte sports history.  As fine a day a city like this can hope to experience."  Experience was indeed the word of that night in November of 1988, and for those of us that were here at the time, or for those that weren't around, the night that the Charlotte Hornets took the floor for the first time would always be a special moment for all of us Charlotte and Carolina sports fans alike.  And if you're wondering who led the Hornets in the loss on November 4th, 1988, it was Tripucka and Kurt Rambis that scored 16 points each for Charlotte.