1988–89 Charlotte Hornets season

The 1988–89 Charlotte Hornets season was Charlotte's inaugural season in the National Basketball Association. The Hornets, along with the Miami Heat, began play as expansion teams during the season.[1] Dick Harter was hired to be the team's head coach. The Hornets finished the season last place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 20 wins and 62 losses, and led the NBA in attendance, becoming the first expansion team to do so. Charlotte also set an all-time NBA attendance record, which was broken by Minnesota the following season. Kelly Tripucka led them in scoring averaging 22.6 points per game, and top draft pick Rex Chapman averaged 16.9 points per game while making the All-Rookie Second Team.

1988–89 Charlotte Hornets season
Head coachDick Harter
OwnersGeorge Shinn
ArenaCharlotte Coliseum
Results
Record20–62 (.244)
PlaceDivision: 6th (Atlantic)
Conference: 12th (Eastern)
Playoff finishDid Not Qualify
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWCCB
(Gary Sparber, Mike Pratt)
RadioWBT
(Steve Martin, Gil McGregor)

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.[2] 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.[1]

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

Also sent were Kurt Rambis of the Los Angeles Lakers and Earl Cureton of the Philadelphia 76ers.[5]

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.[1]

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
Charlotte Hornets 1988-89 roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHt.Wt.From
PG 1 Bogues, Muggsy 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) 136 lb (62 kg) Wake Forest
SG 3 Chapman, Rex 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Kentucky
C 25 Cureton, Earl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Detroit
SG 30 Curry, Dell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Virginia Tech
PG 14 Green, Rickey 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Michigan
PG 6 Holton, Mike 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) California
C 42 Hoppen, Dave 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Nebraska
PF 41 Kempton, Tim 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Notre Dame
C 32 Kite, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) BYU
SG 22 Lewis, Ralph 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) La Salle
PF 31 Rambis, Kurt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Santa Clara
SF 50 Reid, Robert 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Saint Mary's
PF 32 Rowsom, Brian 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) UNC-W
SF 23 Tolbert, Tom 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Arizona
SF 7 Tripucka, Kelly 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Notre Dame
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

The Hornets played their first season in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division.[6] The team's first official NBA game took place on November 4, 1988, at the Charlotte Coliseum, and was a 133–93 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.

Season standings
Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-New York Knicks 5230.634–35–617–2418–12
x-Philadelphia 76ers 4636.561630–1116–2519–11
x-Boston Celtics 4240.5121032–910–3119–11
Washington Bullets 4042.4881230–1110–3117–13
New Jersey Nets 2656.3172617–249–329–21
Charlotte Hornets 2062.2443212–298–338–22
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Detroit Pistons6319.768–
2 y-New York Knicks5230.63411
3 x-Cleveland Cavaliers5725.6956
4 x-Atlanta Hawks5230.63411
5 x-Milwaukee Bucks4933.59814
6 x-Chicago Bulls4735.57316
7 x-Philadelphia 76ers4636.56117
8 x-Boston Celtics4240.51221
9 Washington Bullets4042.48823
10 Indiana Pacers2854.34135
11 New Jersey Nets2656.31737
12 Charlotte Hornets2062.24443
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents
1988-89 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL NJN NYK PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta —3–14–14–24–21–10–21–51–11–15–12–01–11–16–04–12–22–21–11–12–01–11–11–13–1
Boston 1–3—6–01–31–41–11–11–31–11–12–32–01–12–02–25–13–33–30–21–12–02–00–21–12–4
Charlotte 1–40–6—1–40–40–20–20–40–20–22–22–00–21–10–42–42–43–30–20–21–12–01–11–11–5
Chicago 2–43–14–1—0–62–01–10–61–11–14–21–12–02–06–02–23–21–31–12–02–02–02–00–23–1
Cleveland 2–44–14–06–0—2–02–03–31–11–15–11–10–22–03–34–02–23–22–02–02–02–01–11–12–2
Dallas 1–11–12–00–20–2—3–30–21–31–51–13–10–46–00–21–10–21–11–32–22–25–12–24–21–1
Denver 2–01–12–01–10–23–3—1–13–14–21–12–21–35–10–21–11–11–11–32–23–13–32–23–31–1
Detroit 5–13–14–06–03–32–01–1—1–11–14–22–02–02–02–44–00–45–02–01–12–02–02–02–05–0
Golden State 1–11–12–01–11–13–11–31–1—1–31–15–12–34–00–22–02–01–12–42–42–33–12–42–21–1
Houston 1–11–12–01–11–15–12–41–13–1—2–02–21–34–21–12–00–20–21–33–12–26–02–22–40–2
Indiana 1–53–22–22–41–51–11–12–41–10–2—1–10–21–12–41–30–50–41–12–01–12–01–11–11–3
L.A. Clippers 0–20–20–21–11–11–32–20–21–52–21–1—1–51–30–21–10–20–21–51–52–33–11–41–30–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–12–00–22–04–03–10–23–23–12–05–1—4–01–11–11–12–03–35–05–13–14–21–31–1
Miami 1–10–21–10–20–20–61–50–20–42–41–13–10–4—0–21–11–10–20–40–41–32–40–41–50–2
Milwaukee 0–62–24–00–63–32–02–04–22–01–14–22–01–12–0—4–11–33–11–12–02–01–11–11–14–1
New Jersey 1–41–54–22–20–41–11–10–40–20–23–11–11–11–11–4—2–41–51–10–21–11–12–00–21–5
New York 2–23–34–22–32–22–01–14–00–22–05–02–01–11–13–14–2—2–41–12–01–11–11–11–15–1
Philadelphia 2–23–33–33–12–31–11–10–51–12–04–02–00–22–01–35–14–2—0–21–12–01–11–11–14–2
Phoenix 1–12–02–01–10–23–13–10–24–23–11–15–13–34–01–11–11–12–0—2–35–13–14–12–22–0
Portland 1–11–12–00–20–22–22–21–14–21–30–25–10–54–00–22–00–21–13–2—3–34–02–40–41–1
Sacramento 0–20–21–10–20–22–21–30–23–22–21–13–21–53–10–21–11–10–21–53–3—2–21–51–30–2
San Antonio 1–10–20–20–20–21–53–30–21–30–60–21–31–34–21–11–11–11–11–30–42–2—0–41–51–1
Seattle 1–12–01–10–21–12–22–20–24–22–21–14–12–44–01–10–21–11–11–44–25–14–0—3–11–1
Utah 1–11–11–12–01–12–43–30–22–24–21–13–13–15–11–12–01–11–12–24–03–15–11–3—2–0
Washington 1–34–25–11–32–21–11–10–51–12–03–12–01–12–01–45–11–52–40–21–12–01–11–10–2—

Game log
1988–89 Game Log (20–62) (Home: 12–29; Road: 8–33)
November (3–10) (Home: 2–4; Road: 1–6)
December (5–9) (Home: 5–3; Road: 0–6)
January (3–13) (Home: 1–5; Road: 2–8)
February (4–8) (Home: 4–5; Road: 0–3)
March (2–13) (Home: 0–7; Road: 2–6)
April (3–9) (Home: 0–5; Road: 3–4)
1988-89 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
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Muggsy Bogues 792122.2.426.077.7502.17.81.40.15.4
Rex Chapman 754429.6.414.314.7952.52.30.90.316.9
Earl Cureton 824125.0.501.000.5376.01.60.60.76.5
Dell Curry 48016.9.491.345.8702.21.00.90.111.9
Rickey Green 33211.2.432.200.9290.72.50.50.03.9
Mike Holton 676025.3.427.214.8391.66.31.00.28.3
Dave Hoppen 773618.4.564.500.7275.00.70.30.36.5
Tim Kempton 79017.0.510.000.6863.81.30.50.16.1
Greg Kite 121217.8.533.6004.40.60.30.73.2
Ralph Lewis 4208.0.479.333.4871.50.40.30.13.2
Sidney Lowe 14017.9.320.000.6362.46.61.00.01.6
Kurt Rambis 757529.8.518.000.7349.42.11.30.811.1
Robert Reid 825426.2.428.327.7763.71.90.60.214.2
Brian Rowsom 34015.2.4941.000.8024.00.70.30.46.6
Tom Tolbert 1408.4.459.000.5001.50.50.10.32.9
Kelly Tripucka 716532.4.467.357.8663.83.21.20.322.6

Awards and records

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.

References
  1. 1988-89: Charlotte Stocks Roster With Veterans Archived 2010-05-23 at the Wayback Machine nba.com/hornets, accessed 25 April 2008.
  2. Goldaper, Sam (1988-06-14). "Charlotte Is Betting On College Draft". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  3. Expansion Drafts Revisited, HoopsAnalyst
  4. "Sports People; Rockets Trade Reid". The New York Times. 1988-07-19. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  5. Charlotte Buzzing Over the Hornets, The New York Times
  6. 1988–89 Standings Archived 2012-10-25 at the Wayback Machine, nba.com/history, accessed 16 June 2007.
  7. Cleveland Cavaliers at Charlotte Hornets, basketball-reference.com, 4 November 1988, accessed 25 April 2008.
  8. Los Angeles Clippers 105, Charlotte Hornets 117
  9. Jennifer Armstrong, The Times-Picayune. "1988 Charlotte Hornets started off with a bang, became wildly popular with their fans | NOLA.com". Blog.nola.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
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