1996–97 Charlotte Hornets season

The 1996–97 NBA season was the 9th season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association.[1] For the first time since the 1990–91 season, Larry Johnson was not on the team's opening day roster. The Hornets had the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected high school basketball star Kobe Bryant,[2] but soon traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac,[3] and acquired Anthony Mason from the New York Knicks during the off-season.[4] Under new head coach Dave Cowens, the new-look Hornets played better than expected. After an 8–9 start to the season, the Hornets won 21 of their next 31 games, holding a 29–19 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Scott Burrell to the Golden State Warriors, while acquiring Ricky Pierce from the Denver Nuggets.[5] The Hornets posted a nine-game winning streak in April, and finished fourth in the Central Division with a franchise best record at 54–28, making it back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.[6]

1996–97 Charlotte Hornets season
Head coachDave Cowens
General managerBob Bass
Owner(s)George Shinn
ArenaCharlotte Coliseum
Results
Record54–28 (.659)
PlaceDivision: 4th (Central)
Conference: 6th (Eastern)
Playoff finishFirst Round
(Lost to Knicks 0–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television
RadioWBT

Divac and Matt Geiger both provided the best center combo in the league, with Divac averaging 12.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while Mason averaged a double-double with 16.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, and earned All-NBA Third Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors, and Glen Rice had the finest season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring with a career high of 26.8 points per game, and earning All-NBA Second Team honors. Rice was also selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, where he set several scoring records and was selected the game's MVP.[7][8] Sixth man Dell Curry provided the team with 14.8 points per game off the bench, and Muggsy Bogues contributed 8.0 points, and led them with 7.2 assists per game.[9]

However, in the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Hornets were swept by the New York Knicks in three straight games.[10] The Hornets led the NBA in attendance for the eighth and final time during their history in Charlotte. They also had the best three-point percentage in NBA history shooting 42.8% from beyond the arch.[11] Following the season, Pierce re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks.

NBA Draft
Main article: 1996 NBA Draft

In the 1996 NBA Draft, the Hornets selected Kobe Bryant with the 13th overall pick. Before he was chosen by the Hornets, the 17-year-old Bryant had made a lasting impression on then-Lakers general manager Jerry West, who immediately foresaw potential in Bryant's basketball ability during pre-draft workouts. West even went on to state that Bryant's workouts were some of the best he had seen. Immediately after the draft, Dave Cowens expressed that the Hornets had no use for him. Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant.[12]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School
113Kobe BryantSG United StatesLower Merion HS
116Tony DelkSG/PG United StatesKentucky
244Malik RosePF United StatesDrexel

Roster
1996–97 Charlotte Hornets roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
SF 7 Addison, Rafael 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1964–07–22 Syracuse
PG 1 Bogues, Muggsy (C) 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) 136 lb (62 kg) 1965–01–09 Wake Forest
SG 30 Curry, Dell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1964–06–25 Virginia Tech
PG 00 Delk, Tony 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1974–01–28 Kentucky
C 12 Divac, Vlade 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 243 lb (110 kg) 1968–02–03 Yugoslavia
C 52 Geiger, Matt 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 243 lb (110 kg) 1969–09–10 Georgia Tech
PF 14 Mason, Anthony 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1966–12–14 Tennessee State
SG 21 Pierce, Ricky 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1959–08–19 Rice
SF 41 Rice, Glen (C) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–05–28 Michigan
PF 31 Rose, Malik 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1974–11–23 Drexel
SF 5 Royal, Donald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–05–22 Notre Dame
PG 34 Smith, Tony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1968–06–14 Marquette
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Last transaction: February 20, 1997

Roster Notes

Regular season

Season standings
Central Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Chicago Bulls 6913.841–39–230–1124–4
x-Atlanta Hawks 5626.6831336–520–2117–11
x-Detroit Pistons 5428.6591530–1124–1717–11
x-Charlotte Hornets 5428.6591530–1124–1714–14
Cleveland Cavaliers 4240.5122725–1617–2413–15
Indiana Pacers 3943.4763021–2018–2311–17
Milwaukee Bucks 3349.4023620–2113–2810–18
Toronto Raptors 3052.3663918–2312–296–22
1996–97 NBA East standings
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Chicago Bulls6913.841–
2 y-Miami Heat6121.7448
3 x-New York Knicks5725.69512
4 x-Atlanta Hawks5626.68313
5 x-Detroit Pistons5428.65915
6 x-Charlotte Hornets5428.65915
7 x-Orlando Magic4537.54924
8 x-Washington Bullets4438.53725
9 Cleveland Cavaliers4240.51227
10 Indiana Pacers3943.47630
11 Milwaukee Bucks3349.40236
12 Toronto Raptors3052.36639
13 New Jersey Nets2656.31743
14 Philadelphia 76ers2260.26847
15 Boston Celtics1567.18354

Record vs. opponents
1996-97 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta —3–11–31–33–12–01–11–32–01–13–12–01–11–24–02–03–11–33–14–01–12–02–02–01–14–01–12–02–1
Boston 1–3—0–40–41–21–11–10–41–10–21–20–21–10–41–30–20–40–40–41–31–11–10–21–10–23–10–20–20–4
Charlotte 3–14–0—0–43–11–12–02–22–02–02–21–11–11–22–22–04–03–11–24–01–10–22–02–02–02–20–22–03–1
Chicago 3–14–04–0—3–12–02–03–12–01–14–02–01–12–24–02–03–12–23–04–02–02–02–02–02–03–11–12–02–1
Cleveland 1–32–11–31–3—2–01–12–21–10–23–12–01–10–42–22–04–01–32–23–01–11–12–00–20–23–11–12–01–3
Dallas 0–21–11–10–20–2—3–10–20–40–41–12–20–40–20–21–31–11–11–12–01–31–32–21–31–30–21–33–10–2
Denver 1–11–10–20–21–11–3—0–21–31–30–21–30–40–21–10–41–10–20–21–12–20–42–22–20–41–10–43–11–1
Detroit 3–14–02–21–32–22–02–0—2–01–13–12–01–10–43–12–04–01–22–22–10–21–11–12–01–13–11–12–04–0
Golden State 0–21–10–20–21–14–03–10–2—0–41–11–30–40–21–11–32–00–21–12–00–42–21–34–00–42–00–43–10–2
Houston 1–12–00–21–12–04–03–11–14–0—1–13–13–10–21–14–02–01–10–22–02–22–24–03–13–11–12–23–12–0
Indiana 1–32–12–20–41–31–12–01–31–11–1—2–01–11–32–22–02–21–31–33–01–11–11–11–11–14–00–22–01–3
L.A. Clippers 0–22–01–10–20–22–23–10–23–11–30–2—2–20–22–01–31–10–21–11–12–20–42–24–01–32–01–34–00–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–11–11–11–14–04–01–14–01–31–12–2—1–12–03–12–01–11–12–04–01–34–02–23–11–11–34–02–0
Miami 2–14–02–12–24–02–02–04–02–02–03–12–01–1—4–01–13–11–32–23–12–01–12–02–00–23–10–22–03–1
Milwaukee 0–43–12–20–42–22–01–11–31–11–12–20–20–20–4—0–22–11–22–23–11–10–20–21–11–13–11–12–01–3
Minnesota 0–22–00–20–20–23–14–00–23–10–40–23–11–31–12–0—2–01–11–11–13–12–20–44–00–41–11–34–01–1
New Jersey 1–34–00–41–30–41–11–10–40–20–22–21–10–21–31–20–2—2–21–32–21–10–21–12–01–10–30–22–01–3
New York 3–14–01–32–23–11–12–02–12–01–13–12–01–13–12–11–12–2—3–13–21–11–12–02–00–23–01–12–04–0
Orlando 1–34–02–10–32–21–12–02–21–12–03–11–11–12–22–21–13–11–3—2–21–12–01–11–11–14–00–21–11–3
Philadelphia 0–43–10–40–40–30–21–11–20–20–20–31–10–21–31–31–12–22–32–2—1–11–10–21–10–21–30–22–01–3
Phoenix 1–11–11–10–21–13–12–22–04–02–21–12–20–40–21–11–31–11–11–11–1—1–34–03–12–20–21–32–21–1
Portland 0–21–12–00–21–13–14–01–12–22–21–14–03–11–12–02–22–01–10–21–13–1—2–24–01–30–22–24–00–2
Sacramento 0–22–00–20–20–22–22–21–13–10–41–12–20–40–22–04–01–10–21–12–00–42–2—3–11–31–10–44–00–2
San Antonio 0–21–10–20–22–03–12–20–20–41–31–10–42–20–21–10–40–20–21–11–11–30–41–3—0–41–11–31–30–2
Seattle 1–12–00–20–22–03–14–01–14–01–31–13–11–32–01–14–01–12–01–12–02–23–13–14–0—2–01–34–02–0
Toronto 0–41–32–21–31–32–01–11–30–21–10–40–21–11–31–31–13–00–30–43–12–02–01–11–10–2—1–11–12–2
Utah 1–12–02–01–11–13–14–01–14–02–22–03–13–12–01–13–12–01–12–02–03–12–24–03–13–11–1—4–02–0
Vancouver 0–22–00–20–20–21–31–30–21–31–30–20–40–40–20–20–40–20–21–10–22–20–40–43–10–41–10–4—1–1
Washington 1–24–01–31–23–12–01–10–42–00–23–12–00–21–33–11–13–10–43–13–11–12–02–02–00–22–20–21–1—

Playoffs
1997 playoff game log
First Round: 0–3 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 24 @ New York L 99–109 Vlade Divac (27) Anthony Mason (13) Anthony Mason (5) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 0–1
2 April 26 @ New York L 93–100 Glen Rice (39) Divac, Mason (12) four players tied (2) Madison Square Garden
19,763		 0–2
3 April 28 New York L 95–104 Glen Rice (22) Anthony Mason (11) Glen Rice (9) Charlotte Coliseum
24,042		 0–3
1997 schedule

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Rafael Addison 4138.7.402.400.7861.10.80.20.13.1
Muggsy Bogues 656528.9.460.417.8442.27.21.30.08.0
Scott Burrell 28217.2.344.345.7922.81.40.50.45.4
Tom Chambers 1256.9.226.667.7501.20.30.10.01.6
Dell Curry 682030.6.459.426.8033.11.70.90.214.8
Tony Delk 61114.2.465.464.8241.61.60.60.15.4
Vlade Divac 818035.1.494.234.6839.03.71.32.212.6
Jamie Feick 303.3.5001.000.0001.00.00.00.31.7
Matt Geiger 491321.3.489.300.7015.30.80.40.68.9
Anthony Goldwire 33917.5.403.439.7501.22.80.60.05.8
Eric Leckner 1011.0.0001.01.00.00.00.0
Anthony Mason 737343.1.525.333.74511.45.71.00.516.2
Ricky Pierce 271724.1.502.536.8892.51.80.50.112.0
Glen Rice 797842.6.477.470.8674.02.00.90.326.8
Malik Rose 5419.7.477.000.6133.00.60.50.33.0
Donald Royal 25212.8.525.8002.30.40.50.12.8
Tony Smith 693918.7.409.323.6441.42.20.70.35.0
George Zidek 3628.0.388.000.7811.80.30.10.12.5

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Muggsy Bogues 2229.0.579.8571.0001.52.50.50.016.0
Dell Curry 3116.7.294.2501.0000.31.71.30.04.7
Tony Delk 3128.3.419.3853.32.00.70.010.3
Vlade Divac 3338.7.457.000.8008.73.31.02.018.0
Matt Geiger 3010.3.6671.0002.70.70.70.32.0
Anthony Mason 3343.7.421.53812.03.00.30.313.0
Ricky Pierce 3229.0.458.1432.71.30.70.07.7
Glen Rice 3345.7.491.375.9133.73.71.30.327.7
Malik Rose 206.0.5002.50.50.00.02.0
Donald Royal 104.0.0002.00.00.00.00.0
Tony Smith 204.5.000.000.5000.51.00.50.00.5

Awards and records

Transactions
  • July 11, 1996

Released Michael Adams.

Traded Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac.

Released Robert Parish.

  • July 14, 1996

Traded Larry Johnson to the New York Knicks for Brad Lohaus and Anthony Mason.

  • October 3, 1996

Signed Bob McCann as a free agent.

October 19, 1996

Signed Tony Smith as a free agent.

  • October 31, 1996

Waived Brad Lohaus.

  • January 6, 1997

Signed Jamie Feick to the first of two 10-day contracts.

  • January 28, 1997

Signed Eric Leckner to a 10-day contract.

  • January 30, 1997

Signed Tom Chambers to a contract for the rest of the season.

  • February 20, 1997

Traded Scott Burrell to the Golden State Warriors for Donald Royal.

Traded Anthony Goldwire and George Zidek to the Denver Nuggets for Ricky Pierce.

  • April 8, 1997

Waived Tom Chambers.

[13]

References
  1. 1996-97 Charlotte Hornets
  2. "For 76ers, Iverson Is No. 1 Choice". Washington Post. June 27, 1996. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  3. "A New Day for Vlade". Los Angeles Times. July 21, 1996. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  4. "Johnson-for-Mason Said to Be Complete". Los Angeles Times. July 13, 1996. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  5. "Nuggets made three trades, Hornets and Pacers two each". AP News. February 20, 1997. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  6. "1996–97 Charlotte Hornets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  7. "Rice Stages His Own Shootout in East's Victory". New York Times. February 10, 1998. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  8. "1997 NBA All-Star Game: East 132, West 120". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  9. "1996–97 Charlotte Hornets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  10. "Knicks Sweep Away Hornets, and Season of Doubts". New York Times. April 29, 1997. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  11. "1996–97 NBA Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  12. "Once again, the Hornets didn't kick Kobe Bryant out the door in '96". The Charlotte Observer. April 3, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  13. "1996–97 Charlotte Hornets Transactions". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
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