The Charlotte Hornets All-Time Starting Lineup

From the Bring Back the Buzz archive. First published March 27, 2015 on bringbackthebuzz.net, lightly edited.

Despite being one of the newer teams in the NBA, the Charlotte Hornets have had some outstanding players come through. In a fantasy world, it would be something to see this group play one game together in their prime. Here's the starting five we picked in 2015, with a 2026 update at the end. (The NBA counts the Charlotte Bobcats, 2004-2014, as part of this franchise's history, not the New Orleans Hornets.)

PG: Baron Davis

When Baron first arrived as a young lottery pick, people saw an inefficient point guard who took bad shots: 42% from the field as a rookie and 23% from three. But he followed that with two very solid years, including an All-Star appearance in 2001-02, when he averaged 18.1 points, 8.5 assists and 2.1 steals. Injuries followed him later in his career, but he never missed a game in Charlotte.

SG: Gerald Wallace

During the rebirth of NBA basketball in Charlotte, "Crash" was the most accomplished player. He was stuck on a lot of bad teams, but he played hard every night, and he was the only All-Star of the Bobcats era, in 2009-10. Longevity gives him the slight edge over Eddie Jones.

SF: Glen Rice

No Hornet could score with the same ease. One of the most underrated players in NBA history, and Charlotte doesn't forget his three-year run: three All-Star games and 23.5 points per game.

PF: Larry Johnson

With LJ, the Hornets were one of the most exciting teams in the league. Despite being undersized, he averaged 19.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in Charlotte, and formed a strong frontcourt with the man below.

C: Alonzo Mourning

With all respect to Robert Parish, Zo is the pick. He had three outstanding years to start his career and became one of the best centers in the league. No Charlotte player has come close to his 3.2 blocks per game, and he was a steady 20-and-10 guy.

2026 update: who cracks it now?

Kemba Walker is the big change. He passed Dell Curry in 2018 to become the franchise's all-time leading scorer and made three All-Star teams in Charlotte, so we'd move him in at point guard and slide Baron to the bench.

The next names to watch are already here. Brandon Miller keeps climbing, and Kon Knueppel was Summer League Championship MVP, then finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2025-26. Give him a few more seasons. (If you missed it, read about the night Coach Lee crashed our Summer League Champions Party, and grab the Summer League Champs tee while it's around.)

Who's in your all-time five? Settle it with us at the next TEALgate.