Charlotte Hornets · Franchise era 4 of 5
Kemba and the Hornets return: the Charlotte Hornets story
Franchise era
2012–13—2019–20
Kemba and the Hornets return
Charlotte Hornets
The story in one sentence
The franchise reclaimed the Hornets identity, while Walker became its career scoring leader and led two playoff appearances.
01
A beloved guard restores the name
02
Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson and Nicolas Batum gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for the lamelo era.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2012–13
What came before
The replacement franchise reached the 2010 playoffs around Wallace before a teardown produced the lockout season's 7–59 record.
2014
Eastern Conference First Round: Charlotte Hornets vs Miami Heat
2016
Eastern Conference First Round: Charlotte Hornets vs Miami Heat
After 2019–20
What came next
Ball's passing brought immediate excitement, but injuries and roster churn have kept Charlotte focused on assembling a durable young core.
The core