Okafor’s career was mostly unremarkable both from an individual and team standpoint, but he owns a surprising amount of the franchise’s history. In a December 29, 2006, game against the Lakers, Okafor pulled down 25 rebounds, a single game record that still stands today. Okafor also holds records for most 10-plus rebound games (199), and double-doubles (179) as a Bobcat/Hornet (Horncats?). He would go on to grab the most rebounds in franchise history and block the second most shots. Rebounding and consistency would continue to be Okafor’s hallmark throughout his time as a Bobcat. During his rookie campaign, Okafor put up 15.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, earning Rookie of the Year honors.
Okafor’s best years came in Charlotte, where he spent his first five seasons. While Okafor never reached the peak that many hoped for, he played 9 seasons in the NBA which doesn’t happen by accident no matter what position a player was drafted. We often expect top two picks to be a franchise cornerstone for a decade or more, carrying the team to playoff hardware while accumulating plenty of accolades for themselves as well. When measured against the expectations of a second overall pick, it may be true that Okafor’s career was a bit disappointing. Four future All-Stars were taken later in the first round, Andre Iguodala probably the most impactful among them. If we played a word association game before I started this piece, and you said “ Emeka Okafor,” my reply might have been “disappointment.” The Hornets took Okafor second overall in 2004. With that soap box out of the way, let’s take a look at the ten greatest Hornets of all time. In fact, there have been 28 times where a player who did not make the All-Star game was selected to the All-NBA third team.įurthermore, this has happened for the second team 23 times, and seven times for First Team All-NBA! This illustrates perfectly why it’s silly to use All-Star selections as a criterion for the Hall of Fame. As it turns out, that’s not the case at all. While researching this piece I discovered that Al Jefferson was selected to the All-NBA Third Team in 2013-14, without making the All-Star team. I assumed this was a rare occurrence. After all, someone can’t be a great Hornet in just one season. However, when considering players within a single franchise, I think the argument should sway the other way. In general, I tend to slightly favor a player with a higher peak than someone who might have had a longer career. When ranking players in their historical context, peak vs.
I didn’t have any explicit set of criteria or rules while making this list, but I did follow a few general axioms. It wasn’t until 2014, when the Hornets name returned to Charlotte, that the history was restored as well. Despite the ties to the city, all records and history remained with the New Orleans franchise. Just two years later, the Bobcats were born. After just 14 seasons in the NBA, the franchise moved to New Orleans in 2002. The Charlotte Hornets have an interesting, if not storied, history. With the Charlotte Hornets’ strange history, which is unlike most NBA franchises, picking their top-10 players of all-time can be difficult. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports New York, NY, USA Team Curry legend Dell Curry shoots the basketball during the 2015 NBA All Star Shooting Stars competition at Barclays Center.
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