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.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of NBA basketball in Charlotte, and today marks the observance of the very first NBA game ever played in the city, as the Charlotte Hornets would mark their debut as the 24th franchise in the National Basketball Association as one of the league's 4 expansion teams. Their opponent that night was the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been in the league since 1970, and everyone in this small sleepy Southern town of 350,000 residents at that time were all excited and looking forward to welcoming Charlotte to the big leagues as the Hornets would become the first major-league sports team in the Carolinas. Before that, a lot of things would all come into focus to make it a reality.
One man's vision made it all happen
The vision to bring the NBA to Charlotte was made possible by Kannapolis, North Carolina native George Shinn, who was a self-made millionaire as owner of Rutledge Education Systems, a private for-profit business school, and long before that, he even served as a janitor at Evans Business College, and when that school was facing financial trouble, Shinn would buy the school. When the NBA decided that it would plan on expanding in the mid 1980's, he would assemble a group to help "Bring the NBA to Basketball Country", by bringing in Felix Sabates, owner of several car dealerships in the Charlotte area, and is still a minority investor in the current Hornets franchise, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, and the late Cy Bahakel, founder of Bahakel Communications Ltd., the owner of WCCB, Charlotte's CW affiliate and the original television home for Hornets basketball.
A dream and vision achieved
On April 5, 1987, the NBA Board of Governors would announce that the league would be expanding by four teams, with two teams slated to begin play in 1988-89 and two more would join in 1989-90, and interestingly enough, the first of those four teams would be Charlotte, because at the time of the League's plans to expand, the city was already in the process of building the brand new Charlotte Coliseum off of Tyvola Road Extension, which impressed league executives, and the Charlotte group had over 10,000 fans on a waiting list for season tickets for that first campaign in 1988-89. After Charlotte was awarded an NBA expansion franchise, fans got involved with the effort, which included a "Name-the-Team" contest, as over 9,000 fans sent in suggestions for the team name, and they overwhelmingly selected "Hornets" as the winning favorite. Along the way, Charlotte's new NBA franchise would see more things come their way, including fashion designer Alexander Julian being picked to design the iconic Hornets uniform, Cheryl Henson, daughter of "Muppets" creater Jim Henson coming up with the design of "Hugo", the team's mascot, and of course Dick Harter being chosen as the first ever coach of the Charlotte Hornets franchise.
The Big Day
November 4, 1988. Opening Night of the Hornets inaugural season. Fans were excited and anxiously waiting for what would go down as one of the biggest days in Charlotte, as well as throughout North and South Carolina, as 23,388 fans would pack the new Charlotte Coliseum, which opened 2 months earlier back on August 11, 1988, mostly in gowns and tuxedos for the Hornets debut. It was a mixture of what would be a Hollywood premiere or an awards program, as searchlights would light the way for those that were heading to the game that evening would be in for the night of their lives, even the Charlotte Symphony and Oratorio Singers of Charlotte were even there for the pregame entertainment, as well as the Governors of both Carolinas, South Carolina governor Carroll Campbell and North Carolina governor Jim Martin, were there to all honor George Shinn and his vision to bring a major-league sports franchise to the Carolinas.
After the festivities ended, it was time to play some basketball, and the game would produce two bright spots for the Charlotte Hornets on that night. The first would come when Kelly Tripucka would snatch a rebound from Brad Daugherty and put it in the basket for the very first basket in Charlotte Hornets history, and the Hornets would get what would be their only lead of the night, a 34-32 lead in the second quarter. But the Cavs would spoil the opening night party for Charlotte as they would cruise to a 133-93 win that night, and when the game ended, some of the 23,388 fans gave the Hornets a standing ovation as they would leave the court on what would be a big night in Charlotte sports.
This is the first in a series of postings looking back at some of the memorable moments during this the 30th anniversary year of NBA basketball in Charlotte, as we look back at where this franchise has been and look ahead to where it will be going in the future.
With the playoff races heating up down the stretch in the last few weeks of the 2014-15 NBA regular season, we have decided to start giving you the fans updates on the latest teams vying for playoff position, as well as the latest on the heated battle for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference, in which the Charlotte Hornets are involved with at this moment in time.
Last night, the Pacers lost their game to the Boston Celtics, meaning that the Hornets gained some ground in their chances of moving up to the 7th seed, while the Miami Heat had the night off. So entering play today, the standings look like this:
1. Atlanta Hawks: 51-14, Clinched playoff berth
2. Cleveland Cavailers: 42-25
3. Toronto Raptors: 39-26
4. Chicago Bulls: 40-27
5. Washington Wizards: 38-28
6. Milwaukee Bucks: 34-32
7. Indiana Pacers: 30-35
8. CHARLOTTE HORNETS: 29-35
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9. Miami Heat: 29-36
10. Boston Celtics: 29-36
11. Brooklyn Nets: 26-38
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With the final few weeks of the regular season rapidly approaching, the time for the Charlotte Hornets to make a major statement in the battle for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race is now, and last night, before a sellout crowd of 19,183 at Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte battled back twice and would eventually pull away from the Chicago Bulls, as they ended their short losing streak and got back on the winning track with a 101-91 win, as the Hornets improve to 29-35 on the season, and move back into sole possession of 8th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
It was indeed a solid, but yet, terrific win, according to Hornets head coach Steve Clifford. "Do we need everybody to bring it every night? Yes we do, and for 18 games, we can do that." Clifford said on what his team must do in the next 18 games to clinch back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in the modern era of Charlotte NBA Basketball(2004-present).
"We just try harder." said Gerald Henderson, who led the way with 20 points in the win for the Hornets, as he was one of 7 players that reached double figures for Charlotte in the win. Joining him were Mo Williams, who has continuously been playing strong basketball since he was acquired by the Hornets two weeks ago, and he finished with 18 points on the night. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a good game in the win, ending it with 13 points, while Marvin Williams added in 12 in the effort, with Bismack Biyombo, Kemba Walker, and Jason Maxiell all adding in 10 points each, with Biyombo adding in 10 rebounds in his start in the place of Al Jefferson.
Chicago was led in scoring by Aaron Brooks, who had a game-high 24 points in the loss for the Bulls, while Pau Gasol added in 18 points. The Hornets will hit the road for a tough 5-game road trip, which gets started on Monday night in Salt Lake City, as they square off against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena for a 9:00 p.m. start.
Updated Eastern Conference Standings
1. Atlanta Hawks: 51-14^
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: 42-25
3. Toronto Raptors: 39-26
4. Chicago Bulls: 40-27
5. Washington Wizards: 37-28
6. Milwaukee Bucks: 34-31
7. Indiana Pacers: 30-34
8. CHARLOTTE HORNETS: 29-35
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9. Miami Heat: 29-36
10. Boston Celtics: 28-36
11. Brooklyn Nets: 25-38
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As we head towards the final two months of the 2014-15 NBA season, it is time for many teams to come up with some key "Statement" wins if they want to improve their chances of making it to the NBA Playoffs, and for the Charlotte Hornets, last night's game was indeed a "Statement" win on the road, coming away with a 115-91 triumph over the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center for their third straight win, while improving their mark on the season to 26-33, while moving into sole possession of 8th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
"I felt like the team wanted it more was going to win the game. It's just, the teams are so matched and I felt like for the most part we came out and punched them in the mouth early." said Mo Williams, who finished up with 14 points on 14 assists on the night in the win for Charlotte, which included 9 assists in the first quarter, which was two shy of the mark for assists in a quarter in Charlotte NBA history(Michael Holton had 11 assists in a quarter on 12/1/89), and he also got some help, lots of it from his fellow Hornets teammates, including Al Jefferson and Gerald Henderson, who co-led the Hornets with 19 points, while Marvin Williams added in 18, not to mention Cody Zeller adding in 13 off the bench.
On the night, Charlotte would finish the game shooting 49.4% from the field overall, and the even out-rebounded Brooklyn by a plus-11 margin(49-38).
The Nets were led in the loss by Deron Williams, who had 11 points. The Hornets are off today, and they'll jump back into action tomorrow night at "The Hive" as they welcome in the Toronto Raptors to Time Warner Cable Arena for a 7:00 p.m. start.
Charlotte Hornets(22-27) vs. Philadelphia 76ers(11-40)
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Television: SportSouth
Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)
Last meeting: Charlotte 109, Philadelphia 91
Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): CHA leads series 52-39
The Charlotte Hornets hope to make it 4 straight wins tonight, as they pay a visit to Philadelphia to face the 76ers in a Eastern Conference match-up. Charlotte is coming off a win over the Washington Wizards back on Thursday night at "The Hive", behind Gerald Henderson's 27 point performance to lead the Hornets, while Philadelphia on the other hand suffered a 107-96 loss at the hands of the Celtics last night in Boston.
Scouting the Hornets
Over the last few games, the Charlotte Hornets have been playing good basketball with a 12-3 mark over a 15-game span. In Thursday's game at home against Washington, which saw Charlotte come back to win 94-87, the Hornets blocked a season high 15 shots, which was good for the second-best game total in blocks in the history of Charlotte NBA basketball(16 was the franchise record set back on November 25, 2009). Tonight in Philly, the Hornets are out for their fourth-straight win, as they battle the 76ers in the first of a back-to-back set, with Charlotte returning home on Sunday to face the Pacers.
Scouting the 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a loss at the hands of the Celtics last night in Boston, but they have been playing well on the home floor of the Wells Fargo Center, winning three straight games recently, and they're hoping to aim for their fourth-straight home win as they welcome in the Charlotte Hornets to town tonight. Michael Carter-Williams is somewhat probable for Philadelphia, after missing last night's game with a right toe injury, as the 76ers are hoping for a major bounce back in tonight's game.
Next 2 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)
Sunday: Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte(6:00 p.m.)
Tuesday: Detroit Pistons vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
All-Star Break(February 13th-20th)
NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.
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After a rough first half, which led to head coach Steve Clifford calling out his team, the Charlotte Hornets would come out firing and unleashing their frustrations from that first half, and turning it into paydirt, coming away with a 94-87 win over the Washington Wizards last night at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets are now 22-27 on the season and holding on to the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Wizards dropped to 31-20.
The star of the night for Charlotte was Gerald Henderson, who would spark the Hornets run, which was a 14-4 run to end the game. "We weren't in our spots, we weren't helping each other, and we didn't have any energy." said Henderson, who finished with 27 points to lead the way for the Hornets in the win. "In the second half, we came out with more than that."
Last night's win marked the fifth straight time Charlotte has defeated Washington, and they also got a little bit of help from Jason Maxiell, who came out of nowhere with 7 blocked shots to go with 11 points off the bench for the Hornets. Also with 11 points each on the night for Charlotte were Lance Stephenson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, while Brian Roberts continued to do well stepping in the place of Kemba Walker had 12 points for Charlotte in the win. The Hornets finished with a 43.4% field goal percentage on the night, while dominating the rebounding battle by a plus-13 margin(50-37).
Washington had a rough go of it, as head coach Randy Wittman wasn't pleased with his team's effort in the second half. "For whatever reason, we take it upon ourselves to say, 'This is a time for me.'" Wittman quoted. Paul Pierce led the way for the Wizards with 19 points, while John Wall would add in 15. The Hornets next game will come on Saturday night in Philadelphia, as they take on the 76ers at 7:30 p.m. inside the Wells Fargo Center, while their next home game will come on Sunday as they take on the Indiana Pacers for a 6:00 p.m. tip-off at "The Hive".
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."
