1988–89 Charlotte Hornets season

The 1988–89 NBA season was the first season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. The "Charlotte Hornets", along with the Miami Heat, began play as expansion teams during the 1988–89 season; the team was originally going to be named the "Spirit", but later on changed it to the "Hornets".^[1][2][3] The team revealed a new primary logo of a hornet bouncing a basketball,^[4] and got new pinstripe uniforms, adding teal and purple to their color scheme.^[5][6]

1988–89 Charlotte Hornets season
Head coach	Dick Harter
General manager	Carl Scheer
Owner(s)	George Shinn
Arena	Charlotte Coliseum
Results
Record	20–62 (.244)
Place	Division: 6th (Atlantic) Conference: 12th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WCCB (Gary Sparber, Mike Pratt)
Radio	WBT (Steve Martin, Gil McGregor)
1989–90 >

In the 1988 NBA expansion draft, the Hornets selected veteran players like Dell Curry, second-year guard Muggsy Bogues, Mike Holton, Dave Hoppen, Rickey Green, and Mike Brown, who was then traded to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Kelly Tripucka.^[7][8][9] The team also signed free agents; Kurt Rambis, who won four championships with the Los Angeles Lakers,^[10][11][12] Earl Cureton,^[13] and acquired Robert Reid from the Houston Rockets.^[14][15] The Hornets received the eighth overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Rex Chapman from the University of Kentucky.^[16][17][18] Dick Harter was hired to be the team's first ever head coach.^[19][20]

The Hornets played their first NBA game on November 4, 1988, losing 133–93 at the Charlotte Coliseum to the Cleveland Cavaliers.^[21][22][23] The team struggled losing 10 of their first 12 games of the regular season, held a 13–35 record at the All-Star break,^[24] then posted two nine-game losing streaks between February and March, and between March and April, finishing their inaugural season in last place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 20 wins and 62 losses.^[25] The Hornets led the NBA in home-game attendance, becoming the first expansion team to do so, with an attendance of 949,858 at the Charlotte Coliseum;^[26] it was also an all-time NBA attendance record, which was broken by one of the two next season's expansion teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves the following season.

Tripucka led the team in scoring averaging 22.6 points per game, and finished tied in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting,^[27][28] while Chapman averaged 16.9 points per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and Reid provided the team with 14.7 points per game. In addition, Rambis provided with 11.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, while Curry contributed 11.9 points per game off the bench, but only played just 48 games due to a wrist injury,^[29][30] Holton provided with 8.3 points and 6.3 assists per game, Cureton averaged 6.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, Hoppen provided with 6.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, and Bogues contributed 5.4 points, 7.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.^[26]

The team's primary logo remained in use until 2002, while the uniforms lasted until 1997, where they added side panels and additional pinstripes to their jerseys.

Offseason

Expansion draft

The team's roster was filled as a result of an expansion draft in 1988. In a coin flip, the Hornets earned the right to choose either the higher choice in the college draft or the first pick in the expansion draft, picking the former.^[31] Most teams use such drafts to pick young players and guarantee a future, but Charlotte chose veterans in order to get a competitive lineup right away.^[32]

Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Former Team
2	Dell Curry	Guard-Forward	United States	Cleveland Cavaliers
4	Dave Hoppen	Center-Forward	United States	Golden State Warriors
6	Tyrone Bogues	Point Guard	United States	Washington Bullets
8	Mike Browna	Forward-center	United States	Chicago Bulls
10	Rickey Green	Point Guard	United States	Utah Jazz
12	Michael Holton	Point Guard	United States	Portland Trail Blazers
14	Michael Brooksb	Small Forward	United States	Denver Nuggets
16	Bernard Thompsonc	Guard-Forward	United States	Phoenix Suns
18	Ralph Lewis	Guard-Forward	United States	Detroit Pistons
20	Clinton Wheelerd	Point Guard	United States	Indiana Pacers
22	Sedric Toneyb	Point Guard	United States	New York Knicks

• ^ Traded for Kelly Tripucka from the Utah Jazz^[33]
• ^ Waived before the season.^[33]
• ^ Traded for Robert Reid from the Houston Rockets.^[34]
• ^ Sent to Portland Trail Blazers.^[33]

Also sent were Kurt Rambis of the Los Angeles Lakers and Earl Cureton of the Philadelphia 76ers.^[35]

NBA draft

Subsequent to the expansion draft, Charlotte was given the eight pick in the 1988 NBA draft. They selected Rex Chapman, a shooting guard out of University of Kentucky.^[32]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	8	Rex Chapman	Shooting Guard	United States	Kentucky
2	34	Tom Tolbert	Forward/center	United States	Arizona
3	53	Jeff Moore	Power Forward	United States	Tennessee State

Roster

1988–89 Charlotte Hornets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 1 Muggsy Bogues 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) 136 lb (62 kg) 1965–01–09 Wake Forest G 3 Rex Chapman 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1967–10–05 Kentucky C 25 Earl Cureton 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957–09–03 Detroit Mercy G 30 Dell Curry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1964–06–25 Virginia Tech G 6 Michael Holton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1961–08–04 UCLA C 42 Dave Hoppen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1964–03–13 Nebraska F 41 Tim Kempton 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1964–01–25 Notre Dame C 32 Greg Kite 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1961–08–05 BYU F 31 Kurt Rambis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1958–02–25 Santa Clara F 50 Robert Reid 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1955–08–30 St. Mary's (Texas) F 32 Brian Rowsom 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1965–10–23 UNC Wilmington F 7 Kelly Tripucka 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1959–02–16 Notre Dame

Head coach Dick Harter Assistant(s) Ed Badger Gene Littles Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: March 29, 1989

Preseason

The Hornets' first official NBA game took place on October 14, 1988, at the Madison Square Garden, and was a 118–97 preseason loss to the New Jersey Nets.^[35]

Regular season

The Hornets played their first season in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division.^[36] The team's first regular season NBA game took place on November 4, 1988, at the Charlotte Coliseum, and was a 133–93 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.^[37] Despite the huge loss, the Hornets received a standing ovation at the end of the game. November 8, 1988, the team won their first game over the Los Angeles Clippers, 117–105.^[38] On December 23, 1988, the Hornets defeated Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 103–101 at the buzzer in Jordan's first return to North Carolina as a professional.^[39] During the season, Kelly Tripucka led the franchise with 22.6 points per game. Despite the Hornets mostly poor play (typical for an expansion franchise), the Hornets led the NBA in attendance during the season, selling out 36 of 41 home games (including the final 30).

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-New York Knicks	52	30	.634	–	35–6	17–24	18–12
x-Philadelphia 76ers	46	36	.561	6	30–11	16–25	19–11
x-Boston Celtics	42	40	.512	10	32–9	10–31	19–11
Washington Bullets	40	42	.488	12	30–11	10–31	17–13
New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	26	17–24	9–32	9–21
Charlotte Hornets	20	62	.244	32	12–29	8–33	8–22

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Detroit Pistons	63	19	.768	–
2	y-New York Knicks	52	30	.634	11
3	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	57	25	.695	6
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	52	30	.634	11
5	x-Milwaukee Bucks	49	33	.598	14
6	x-Chicago Bulls	47	35	.573	16
7	x-Philadelphia 76ers	46	36	.561	17
8	x-Boston Celtics	42	40	.512	21
9	Washington Bullets	40	42	.488	23
10	Indiana Pacers	28	54	.341	35
11	New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	37
12	Charlotte Hornets	20	62	.244	43

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

1988–89 Game Log (20–62) (Home: 12–29; Road: 8–33)
November (3–10) (Home: 2–4; Road: 1–6) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record 1 November 4, 1988 Cleveland L 93–133 Charlotte Coliseum 23,338 0–1 2 November 5, 1988 @ Detroit L 85–94 The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 0–2 3 November 8, 1988 L.A. Clippers W 117–105 Charlotte Coliseum 18,865 1–2 4 November 11, 1988 @ Washington L 87–96 Capital Centre 12,731 1–3 5 November 12, 1988 @ Atlanta L 111–132 The Omni 16,155 1–4 6 November 15, 1988 New Jersey L 99–106 Charlotte Coliseum 21,748 1–5 7 November 17, 1988 @ Dallas L 93–105 Reunion Arena 16,512 1–6 8 November 19, 1988 @ San Antonio W 107–105 HemisFair Arena 10,863 2–6 9 November 22, 1988 Detroit L 93–99 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 2–7 10 November 23, 1988 @ Boston L 109–114 Boston Garden 14,890 2–8 11 November 25, 1988 @ Philadelphia L 116–123 Spectrum 10,588 2–9 12 November 26, 1988 Washington L 113–120 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 2–10 13 November 29, 1988 Miami W 99–84 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 3–10
December (5–9) (Home: 5–3; Road: 0–6) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record 14 December 1, 1988 Philadelphia W 109–107 Charlotte Coliseum 21,716 4–10 15 December 3, 1988 @ Houston L 104–108 The Summit 16,611 4–11 16 December 9, 1988 New Jersey W 96–95 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 5–11 17 December 10, 1988 @ New Jersey L 112–121 (OT) Brendan Byrne Arena 5–12 18 December 13, 1988 @ Indiana L 104–115 Market Square Arena 5–13 19 December 14, 1988 Indiana W 115–106 Charlotte Coliseum 22,601 6–13 20 December 16, 1988 Dallas L 98–107 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 6–14 21 December 17, 1988 @ Detroit L 91–100 The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 6–15 22 December 20, 1988 @ Milwaukee L 115–125 Bradley Center 15,075 6–16 23 December 21, 1988 Milwaukee L 100–112 Charlotte Coliseum 23,010 6–17 24 December 23, 1988 Chicago W 103–101 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 7–17 25 December 26, 1988 Houston L 95–97 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 7–18 26 December 28, 1988 @ Cleveland L 98–122 Richfield Coliseum 17,353 7–19 27 December 30, 1988 New York W 122–111 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 8–19
January (3–13) (Home: 1–5; Road: 2–8) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record 28 January 3, 1989 New Jersey L 106–109 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 8–20 29 January 4, 1989 @ Washington L 86–109 Capital Centre 8–21 30 January 6, 1989 @ Boston L 92–115 Boston Garden 14,890 8–22 31 January 7, 1989 Washington W 107–104 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 9–22 32 January 9, 1989 Utah L 92–114 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 9–23 33 January 11, 1989 Chicago L 101–106 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 9–24 34 January 12, 1989 @ New York L 89–106 Madison Square Garden 16,943 9–25 35 January 15, 1989 Philadelphia L 109–116 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 9–26 36 January 16, 1989 @ Philadelphia W 127–122 (OT) Spectrum 10,116 10–26 37 January 18, 1989 @ Milwaukee L 106–118 Bradley Center 16,145 10–27 38 January 19, 1989 Phoenix L 112–126 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 10–28 39 January 21, 1989 @ Atlanta L 113–137 The Omni 16,371 10–29 40 January 24, 1989 @ Phoenix L 103–106 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 11,089 10–30 41 January 26, 1989 @ Utah W 89–88 Salt Palace 12,444 11–30 42 January 27, 1989 @ L.A. Lakers L 97–114 Great Western Forum 17,505 11–31 43 January 30, 1989 @ Portland L 118–130 Memorial Coliseum 12,848 11–32
February (4–8) (Home: 4–5; Road: 0–3) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record 44 February 1, 1989 Boston L 94–107 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 11–33 45 February 3, 1989 Seattle W 108–106 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 12–33 46 February 5, 1989 Cleveland L 91–110 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 12–34 47 February 7, 1989 @ Chicago L 93–118 Chicago Stadium 17,385 12–35 48 February 9, 1989 Atlanta W 110–108 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 13–35 49 February 14, 1989 New York L 117–129 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 13–36 50 February 17, 1989 @ Miami L 102–103 Miami Arena 15,008 13–37 51 February 18, 1989 Indiana W 119–114 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 14–37 52 February 22, 1989 Chicago L 102–130 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 14–38 53 February 23, 1989 @ New York L 114–139 Madison Square Garden 16,130 14–39 54 February 25, 1989 San Antonio W 124–113 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 15–39 55 February 28, 1989 Boston L 87–112 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 15–40
March (2–13) (Home: 0–7; Road: 2–6) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record 56 March 2, 1989 @ New Jersey L 103–114 Brendan Byrne Arena 15–41 57 March 3, 1989 @ Atlanta L 109–133 The Omni 16,371 15–42 58 March 5, 1989 @ Washington L 101–114 Capital Centre 6,661 15–43 59 March 8, 1989 Denver L 99–112 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 15–44 60 March 10, 1989 L.A. Lakers L 90–123 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 15–45 61 March 12, 1989 Sacramento L 105–114 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 15–46 62 March 14, 1989 @ Denver L 102–125 McNichols Sports Arena 10,522 15–47 63 March 16, 1989 @ Seattle L 88–108 Seattle Center Coliseum 15–48 64 March 17, 1989 @ L.A. Clippers W 108–105 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 10,758 16–48 65 March 19, 1989 @ Golden State L 117–124 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 15,025 16–49 66 March 20, 1989 @ Sacramento W 117–110 ARCO Arena 16,517 17–49 67 March 23, 1989 Washington L 97–102 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 17–50 68 March 25, 1989 Detroit L 101–113 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 17–51 69 March 27, 1989 New York L 105–121 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 17–52 70 March 30, 1989 Golden State L 104–113 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 17–53
April (3–9) (Home: 0–5; Road: 3–4) Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record 71 April 1, 1989 Portland L 121–125 (OT) Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 17–54 72 April 4, 1989 @ Chicago L 101–121 Chicago Stadium 17,578 17–55 73 April 7, 1989 Philadelphia L 108–118 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 17–56 74 April 9, 1989 @ Cleveland L 116–122 Richfield Coliseum 19,276 17–57 75 April 10, 1989 Atlanta L 105–112 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 17–58 76 April 12, 1989 @ New York W 104–99 Madison Square Garden 18,385 18–58 77 April 14, 1989 @ Philadelphia W 119–115 Spectrum 14,321 19–58 78 April 15, 1989 @ Indiana L 105–115 Market Square Arena 11,860 19–59 79 April 17, 1989 Boston L 108–113 (OT) Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 19–60 80 April 18, 1989 @ New Jersey W 121–105 Brendan Byrne Arena 20–60 81 April 21, 1989 Milwaukee L 110–117 Charlotte Coliseum 23,388 20–61 82 April 23, 1989 @ Boston L 110–120 Boston Garden 14,890 20–62
1988-89 Schedule

Player statistics

Ragular season

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Robert Reid	SF	82	54	2,152	302	153	53	20	1,207	26.2	3.7	1.9	.6	.2	14.7
Earl Cureton	C	82	41	2,047	488	130	50	61	532	25.0	6.0	1.6	.6	.7	6.5
Muggsy Bogues	PG	79	21	1,755	165	620	111	7	423	22.2	2.1	7.8	1.4	.1	5.4
Tim Kempton	PF	79	0	1,341	304	102	41	14	484	17.0	3.8	1.3	.5	.2	6.1
Dave Hoppen	C	77	36	1,419	384	57	25	21	500	18.4	5.0	.7	.3	.3	6.5
Kurt Rambis	PF	75	75	2,233	703	159	100	57	832	29.8	9.4	2.1	1.3	.8	11.1
Rex Chapman	SG	75	44	2,219	187	176	70	25	1,267	29.6	2.5	2.3	.9	.3	16.9
Kelly Tripucka	SF	71	65	2,302	267	224	88	16	1,606	32.4	3.8	3.2	1.2	.2	22.6
Michael Holton	PG	67	60	1,696	105	424	66	12	553	25.3	1.6	6.3	1.0	.2	8.3
Dell Curry	SG	48	0	813	104	50	42	4	571	16.9	2.2	1.0	.9	.1	11.9
Ralph Lewis	SF	42	0	336	61	15	11	3	136	8.0	1.5	.4	.3	.1	3.2
Brian Rowsom	PF	34	0	517	137	24	10	12	226	15.2	4.0	.7	.3	.4	6.6
Rickey Green†	PG	33	2	370	23	82	18	0	128	11.2	.7	2.5	.5	.0	3.9
Sidney Lowe	SG	14	0	250	34	93	14	0	23	17.9	2.4	6.6	1.0	.0	1.6
Tom Tolbert	SF	14	0	117	21	7	2	4	40	8.4	1.5	.5	.1	.3	2.9
Greg Kite†	C	12	12	213	53	7	4	8	38	17.8	4.4	.6	.3	.7	3.2

• ^† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Hornets only.

Awards and records

• Rex Chapman, NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team

Transactions

• July 1, 1988

Released Clinton Wheeler.

• July 18, 1988

Signed Earl Cureton as a free agent.

Traded Bernard Thompson to the Houston Rockets for Robert Reid and a 1990 2nd round draft pick (Steve Scheffler was later selected).

• July 28, 1988

Signed Kurt Rambis as an unrestricted free agent.

• August 17, 1988

Signed Tim Kempton as a free agent.

• October 6, 1988

Signed Brian Rowsom as a free agent.

• October 17, 1988

Released Sedric Toney.

• December 30, 1988

Waived Tom Tolbert.

• February 22, 1989

Waived Rickey Green.

• March 27, 1989

Signed Sidney Lowe to the first of two 10-day contracts.

• March 29, 1989

Signed Greg Kite to a contract for the rest of the season.

Waived Ralph Lewis.

Player Transactions Citation:^[40]