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 overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected high school basketball star Kobe Bryant,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} but soon traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac,^{[7][8][9][10][11]} acquired Anthony Mason from the New York Knicks,^{[12][13][14][15]} and signed free agent Tony Smith during the off-season.^[16] The team also hired former Boston Celtics star Dave Cowens as their new head coach.^[17][18][19]

1996–97 Charlotte Hornets season
Head coach	Dave Cowens
General manager	Bob Bass
Owner(s)	George Shinn
Arena	Charlotte Coliseum
Results
Record	54–28 (.659)
Place	Division: 4th (Central) Conference: 6th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	First round (lost to Knicks 0–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports South WJZY WFVT
Radio	WBT
< 1995–96 1997–98 >

Under Cowens, and with the addition of Divac and Mason, 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.^[20] At midseason, the team signed free agent and former All-Star forward Tom Chambers in January,^[21][22][23] then traded Scott Burrell to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Donald Royal, and dealt second-year guard Anthony Goldwire, and second-year center George Zidek to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Ricky Pierce in February.^{[24][25][26][27]} However, Chambers was released to free agency after 12 games. 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.^[28]

Glen Rice had the best season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring with a career-high of 26.8 points per game, while leading the Hornets with 207 three-point field goals, and shooting .470 in three-point percentage; he earned All-NBA Second Team honors, and finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting.^[29][30][31] Rice was also selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game,^[32][33] where he set several scoring records and was selected the game's MVP.^{[34][35][36][37][38]} In addition, Mason averaged 16.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, and earned All-NBA Third Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors, while Divac and Matt Geiger both provided the best center combo in the league, as Divac averaged 12.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, and Geiger provided the team with 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, but only played just 49 games due to a back injury.^[39][40] Sixth man Dell Curry contributed 14.8 points per game off the bench, while Muggsy Bogues provided with 8.0 points, 7.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, and Smith contributed 5.0 points per game.^[41] Curry also finished tied in fifth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting,^[42][30][31] and Cowens finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting.^{[43][44][45][30]}

However, in the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Hornets were swept by the New York Knicks in three straight games.^{[46][47][48][49]} The Hornets led the NBA in home-game 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.^[50] Following the season, Pierce re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks during the next season,^{[51][52][53][54]} and Smith and Royal were both released to free agency.

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.^[55]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School
1	13	Kobe Bryant	SG	United States	Lower Merion HS
1	16	Tony Delk	SG/PG	United States	Kentucky
2	44	Malik Rose	PF	United States	Drexel

Roster

1996–97 Charlotte Hornets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From F 7 Addison, Rafael 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1964–07–22 Syracuse G 1 Bogues, Muggsy 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) 136 lb (62 kg) 1965–01–09 Wake Forest G 30 Curry, Dell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1964–06–25 Virginia Tech G 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 F 14 Mason, Anthony 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1966–12–14 Tennessee State G 21 Pierce, Ricky 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1959–08–19 Rice F 41 Rice, Glen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–05–28 Michigan F 31 Rose, Malik 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1974–11–23 Drexel F 5 Royal, Donald 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1966–05–22 Notre Dame G 34 Smith, Tony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1968–06–14 Marquette

Head coach Dave Cowens Assistant coach(es) T. R. Dunn Lee Rose Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: February 20, 1997

Roster Notes

• Power forward Tom Chambers was waived on April 8, 1997.

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Chicago Bulls	69	13	.841	–	39–2	30–11	24–4
x-Atlanta Hawks	56	26	.683	13	36–5	20–21	17–11
x-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	15	30–11	24–17	17–11
x-Charlotte Hornets	54	28	.659	15	30–11	24–17	14–14
Cleveland Cavaliers	42	40	.512	27	25–16	17–24	13–15
Indiana Pacers	39	43	.476	30	21–20	18–23	11–17
Milwaukee Bucks	33	49	.402	36	20–21	13–28	10–18
Toronto Raptors	30	52	.366	39	18–23	12–29	6–22

1996–97 NBA East standings

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Chicago Bulls	69	13	.841	–
2	y-Miami Heat	61	21	.744	8
3	x-New York Knicks	57	25	.695	12
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	56	26	.683	13
5	x-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	15
6	x-Charlotte Hornets	54	28	.659	15
7	x-Orlando Magic	45	37	.549	24
8	x-Washington Bullets	44	38	.537	25
9	Cleveland Cavaliers	42	40	.512	27
10	Indiana Pacers	39	43	.476	30
11	Milwaukee Bucks	33	49	.402	36
12	Toronto Raptors	30	52	.366	39
13	New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	43
14	Philadelphia 76ers	22	60	.268	47
15	Boston Celtics	15	67	.183	54

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	—	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–1
Boston	1–3	—	0–4	0–4	1–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	1–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–4
Charlotte	3–1	4–0	—	0–4	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	1–2	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	3–1
Chicago	3–1	4–0	4–0	—	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	2–2	3–0	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–1
Cleveland	1–3	2–1	1–3	1–3	—	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–3	2–2	3–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–3
Dallas	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	—	3–1	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	0–2
Denver	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	—	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–1	0–4	3–1	1–1
Detroit	3–1	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	—	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	3–1	2–0	4–0	1–2	2–2	2–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	4–0
Golden State	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	0–2	—	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	1–3	4–0	0–4	2–0	0–4	3–1	0–2
Houston	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	1–1	4–0	—	1–1	3–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0
Indiana	1–3	2–1	2–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	1–3
L.A. Clippers	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	3–1	1–3	0–2	—	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	4–0	1–3	2–0	1–3	4–0	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–1	2–2	—	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	2–0
Miami	2–1	4–0	2–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	—	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
Milwaukee	0–4	3–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	—	0–2	2–1	1–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–3
Minnesota	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–4	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–3	4–0	1–1
New Jersey	1–3	4–0	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–2	0–2	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–3	0–2	2–0	1–3
New York	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–2	—	3–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–0	1–1	2–0	4–0
Orlando	1–3	4–0	2–1	0–3	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	1–3
Philadelphia	0–4	3–1	0–4	0–4	0–3	0–2	1–1	1–2	0–2	0–2	0–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–3	2–2	—	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	1–3
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	1–3	4–0	3–1	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1
Portland	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	—	2–2	4–0	1–3	0–2	2–2	4–0	0–2
Sacramento	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	2–0	4–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	—	3–1	1–3	1–1	0–4	4–0	0–2
San Antonio	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–4	1–3	—	0–4	1–1	1–3	1–3	0–2
Seattle	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–1	3–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	—	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0
Toronto	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	3–0	0–3	0–4	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	—	1–1	1–1	2–2
Utah	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	—	4–0	2–0
Vancouver	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	0–4	1–1	0–4	—	1–1
Washington	1–2	4–0	1–3	1–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	—

Game log

Regular season

1996–97 game log Total: 54–28 (home: 30–11; road: 24–17)
November: 8–6 (home: 5–2; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 November 2, 1996 Toronto W 109–98 Charlotte Coliseum 1–0 2 November 3, 1996 @ New York L 86–113 Madison Square Garden 1–1 3 November 6, 1996 L.A. Lakers W 88–78 Charlotte Coliseum 2–1 4 November 8, 1996 @ Washington W 102–87 US Airways Arena 3–1 5 November 9, 1996 Milwaukee L 98–100 Charlotte Coliseum 3–2 6 November 12, 1996 @ Miami L 72–93 Miami Arena 3–3 7 November 14, 1996 @ Orlando L 89–96 Orlando Arena 3–4 8 November 15, 1996 Chicago L 87–110 Charlotte Coliseum 3–5 9 November 20, 1996 New York W 93–86 Charlotte Coliseum 4–5 10 November 21, 1996 @ Indiana W 90–87 Market Square Arena 5–5 11 November 23, 1996 Detroit W 93–85 Charlotte Coliseum 6–5 12 November 26, 1996 Seattle W 97–89 Charlotte Coliseum 7–5 13 November 27, 1996 @ Toronto L 88–92 SkyDome 7–6 14 November 30, 1996 @ Milwaukee W 94–87 Bradley Center 8–6
December: 8–7 (home: 3–2; road: 5–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 15 December 2, 1996 @ Utah L 97–107 Delta Center 8–7 16 December 3, 1996 @ L.A. Clippers L 89–96 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 8–8 17 December 6, 1996 @ Portland L 93–97 Rose Garden Arena 8–9 18 December 7, 1996 @ Seattle W 94–92 KeyArena 9–9 19 December 9, 1996 @ Vancouver W 107–91 General Motors Place 10–9 20 December 11, 1996 Denver W 101–97 Charlotte Coliseum 11–9 21 December 13, 1996 Philadelphia W 84–75 Charlotte Coliseum 12–9 22 December 14, 1996 @ Chicago L 82–87 United Center 12–10 23 December 17, 1996 @ Philadelphia W 93–84 CoreStates Center 13–10 24 December 19, 1996 Chicago L 72–93 Charlotte Coliseum 13–11 25 December 21, 1996 Atlanta W 98–93 Charlotte Coliseum 14–11 26 December 22, 1996 @ Boston W 102–98 FleetCenter 15–11 27 December 27, 1996 Miami L 86–101 Charlotte Coliseum 15–12 28 December 28, 1996 @ Detroit L 75–97 The Palace of Auburn Hills 15–13 29 December 30, 1996 @ Washington W 101–92 US Airways Arena 16–13
January: 10–6 (home: 5–2; road: 5–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 30 January 2, 1997 Dallas W 107–97 Charlotte Coliseum 17–13 31 January 4, 1997 Washington L 93–104 Charlotte Coliseum 17–14 32 January 6, 1997 @ Golden State W 109–101 San Jose Arena 18–14 33 January 8, 1997 @ L.A. Lakers L 97–101 Great Western Forum 18–15 34 January 10, 1997 @ Phoenix L 90–102 America West Arena 18–16 35 January 12, 1997 @ Sacramento W 97–93 ARCO Arena 19–16 36 January 13, 1997 @ Denver W 102–100 (OT) McNichols Sports Arena 20–16 37 January 15, 1997 New Jersey W 116–104 Charlotte Coliseum 21–16 38 January 18, 1997 @ New Jersey W 102–92 Continental Airlines Arena 22–16 39 January 20, 1997 @ Atlanta L 97–106 The Omni 22–17 40 January 21, 1997 Houston W 114–108 Charlotte Coliseum 23–17 41 January 24, 1997 New York W 113–104 (OT) Charlotte Coliseum 24–17 42 January 25, 1997 @ Cleveland L 73–106 Gund Arena 24–18 43 January 28, 1997 @ Indiana W 98–97 Market Square Arena 25–18 44 January 29, 1997 Indiana L 95–106 Charlotte Coliseum 25–19 45 January 31, 1997 Milwaukee W 102–95 Charlotte Coliseum 26–19
February: 10–3 (home: 6–1; road: 4–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 46 February 2, 1997 @ New York W 99–93 Madison Square Garden 27–19 47 February 4, 1997 Minnesota W 115–101 Charlotte Coliseum 28–19 48 February 6, 1997 Sacramento W 115–100 Charlotte Coliseum 29–19 All-Star Break 49 February 11, 1997 @ Chicago L 100–103 United Center 29–20 50 February 12, 1997 New Jersey W 113–100 Charlotte Coliseum 30–20 51 February 14, 1997 Detroit L 103–109 Charlotte Coliseum 30–21 52 February 17, 1997 Orlando W 124–110 Charlotte Coliseum 31–21 53 February 19, 1997 Phoenix W 123–115 Charlotte Coliseum 32–21 54 February 21, 1997 L.A. Clippers W 114–96 Charlotte Coliseum 33–21 55 February 22, 1997 @ Atlanta W 93–92 The Omni 34–21 56 February 24, 1997 @ San Antonio W 96–84 Alamodome 35–21 57 February 25, 1997 @ Dallas L 84–86 Reunion Arena 35–22 58 February 27, 1997 @ Houston W 106–95 The Summit 36–22
March: 9–4 (home: 6–3; road: 3–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 59 March 2, 1997 @ Minnesota W 108–96 Target Center 37–22 60 March 4, 1997 San Antonio W 105–98 Charlotte Coliseum 38–22 61 March 6, 1997 Boston W 122–121 (OT) Charlotte Coliseum 39–22 62 March 9, 1997 Miami W 82–76 Charlotte Coliseum 40–22 63 March 11, 1997 Vancouver W 98–92 Charlotte Coliseum 41–22 64 March 14, 1997 @ Orlando L 81–86 Orlando Arena 41–23 65 March 15, 1997 @ Philadelphia W 107–99 CoreStates Center 42–23 66 March 17, 1997 Utah L 93–114 Charlotte Coliseum 42–24 67 March 19, 1997 Cleveland W 90–72 Charlotte Coliseum 43–24 68 March 21, 1997 @ Toronto W 102–97 SkyDome 44–24 69 March 22, 1997 Golden State W 100–93 (OT) Charlotte Coliseum 45–24 70 March 26, 1997 Portland L 87–88 Charlotte Coliseum 45–25 71 March 28, 1997 Indiana L 115–116 Charlotte Coliseum 45–26
April: 9–2 (home: 5–1; road: 4–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 72 April 2, 1997 Atlanta W 95–84 Charlotte Coliseum 46–26 73 April 3, 1997 @ New Jersey W 93–87 Continental Airlines Arena 47–26 74 April 5, 1997 Philadelphia W 115–113 Charlotte Coliseum 48–26 75 April 7, 1997 @ Cleveland W 110–105 (OT) Gund Arena 49–26 76 April 9, 1997 Boston W 136–111 Charlotte Coliseum 50–26 77 April 11, 1997 @ Detroit W 93–85 The Palace of Auburn Hills 51–26 78 April 12, 1997 Washington W 99–97 Charlotte Coliseum 52–26 79 April 14, 1997 Cleveland W 94–82 Charlotte Coliseum 53–26 80 April 16, 1997 @ Boston W 108–102 FleetCenter 54–26 81 April 18, 1997 Toronto L 100–108 Charlotte Coliseum 54–27 82 April 20, 1997 @ Milwaukee L 100–120 Bradley Center 54–28
1996–97 schedule

Playoffs

1997 playoff game log
First Round: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 24, 1997 @ New York L 99–109 Vlade Divac (27) Anthony Mason (13) Anthony Mason (5) Madison Square Garden 19,763 0–1 2 April 26, 1997 @ 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, 1997 New York L 95–104 Glen Rice (22) Anthony Mason (11) Glen Rice (9) Charlotte Coliseum 24,042 0–3
1997 schedule

Player statistics

Ragular season

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Vlade Divac	C	81	80	2,840	725	301	103	180	1,024	35.1	9.0	3.7	1.3	2.2	12.6
Glen Rice	SF	79	78	3,362	318	160	72	26	2,115	42.6	4.0	2.0	.9	.3	26.8
Anthony Mason	PF	73	73	3,143	829	414	76	33	1,186	43.1	11.4	5.7	1.0	.5	16.2
Tony Smith	PG	69	39	1,291	94	150	48	19	346	18.7	1.4	2.2	.7	.3	5.0
Dell Curry	SG	68	20	2,078	211	118	60	14	1,008	30.6	3.1	1.7	.9	.2	14.8
Muggsy Bogues	PG	65	65	1,880	141	469	82	2	522	28.9	2.2	7.2	1.3	.0	8.0
Tony Delk	PG	61	1	867	99	99	36	6	332	14.2	1.6	1.6	.6	.1	5.4
Malik Rose	PF	54	1	525	164	32	28	17	160	9.7	3.0	.6	.5	.3	3.0
Matt Geiger	C	49	13	1,044	258	38	20	27	437	21.3	5.3	.8	.4	.6	8.9
Rafael Addison	SF	41	3	355	45	34	8	3	128	8.7	1.1	.8	.2	.1	3.1
George Zidek†	C	36	2	288	63	9	4	3	91	8.0	1.8	.3	.1	.1	2.5
Anthony Goldwire†	PG	33	9	576	38	94	19	1	190	17.5	1.2	2.8	.6	.0	5.8
Scott Burrell†	SF	28	2	482	79	39	14	11	151	17.2	2.8	1.4	.5	.4	5.4
Ricky Pierce†	SG	27	17	650	68	49	14	4	324	24.1	2.5	1.8	.5	.1	12.0
Donald Royal†	SF	25	2	320	58	10	12	2	70	12.8	2.3	.4	.5	.1	2.8
Tom Chambers	PF	12	5	83	14	4	1	0	19	6.9	1.2	.3	.1	.0	1.6
Jamie Feick†	C	3	0	10	3	0	0	1	5	3.3	1.0	.0	.0	.3	1.7
Eric Leckner†	C	1	0	11	1	1	0	0	0	11.0	1.0	1.0	.0	.0	.0

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

Playoffs

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Glen Rice	SF	3	3	137	11	11	4	1	83	45.7	3.7	3.7	1.3	.3	27.7
Anthony Mason	PF	3	3	131	36	9	1	1	39	43.7	12.0	3.0	.3	.3	13.0
Vlade Divac	C	3	3	116	26	10	3	6	54	38.7	8.7	3.3	1.0	2.0	18.0
Ricky Pierce	SG	3	2	87	8	4	2	0	23	29.0	2.7	1.3	.7	.0	7.7
Tony Delk	PG	3	1	85	10	6	2	0	31	28.3	3.3	2.0	.7	.0	10.3
Dell Curry	SG	3	1	50	1	5	4	0	14	16.7	.3	1.7	1.3	.0	4.7
Matt Geiger	C	3	0	31	8	2	2	1	6	10.3	2.7	.7	.7	.3	2.0
Muggsy Bogues	PG	2	2	58	3	5	1	0	32	29.0	1.5	2.5	.5	.0	16.0
Malik Rose	PF	2	0	12	5	1	0	0	4	6.0	2.5	.5	.0	.0	2.0
Tony Smith	PG	2	0	9	1	2	1	0	1	4.5	.5	1.0	.5	.0	.5
Donald Royal	SF	1	0	4	2	0	0	0	0	4.0	2.0	.0	.0	.0	.0

Awards and records

• Glen Rice, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award
• Bob Bass, NBA Executive of the Year Award
• Glen Rice, All-NBA Second Team
• Anthony Mason, All-NBA Third Team
• Anthony Mason, NBA All-Defensive Second Team

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.

Player Transactions Citation:^[56]

References

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• Hornets on Database Basketball
• Hornets on Basketball Reference