Our series on the four jerseys fans of every NBA team continues today. It’s Southwest Division week, and today we’re focusing on the New Orleans Hornets. Remember, we’re not just going to list off four popular players in team history. We know that when you’re wearing a jersey, you’re going for a “look.” So every day we’re going to tell you the jersey you’ve got to have, the jersey you can’t go wrong with (in case you can’t find the first one), the jersey that will make people say “Oh, that’s awesome,” and the joke jersey that will have everyone laughing.
The Hornets have been good for an expansion team with only 23 seasons under its belt. The team’s overall record is just about .500, which is impressive when you consider how terrible expansions teams can be in their early years. But the Hornets, both the Charlotte and New Orleans versions, have seen some very good players pass through town. That’s led to some relative playoff success and a memorable early history.
The next step is to build a consistent winner. So with an eye on the past, we also look to the future as we give you the four must-have Hornets jerseys.
Gotta Have:
Chris Paul — Much like Obi Wan Kenobi, Chris Paul is the Hornets’ only hope. Without him, the Hornets are, in all honesty, a bottom-feeder. With him, they have a fighting chance. He’s a guy you build around and a guy who can make the rest of his team better. He’s the best player in franchise history. Even with some uncertainty about his future, you have to put your faith in him… and hope management can give him the right running mates. Rock the #3 loud and proud and hope there’s a way to keep him in town for his entire career.
You Can’t Go Wrong With:
Dell Curry — He perhaps epitomizes the concept of just doing your job as best you can to find a consistent role on the team. Some guys try to do too much and their game suffers. Curry, though, was a shooter’s shooter. He so consistently made shots off the bench for 10 years that he became the franchise’s all-time leader in points, games played, 3’s made and 3’s taken. His #30 definitely belongs in the rotation
“Oh, That’s Cool”:
Muggsy Bogues — Muggsy is known for being small. But people might forget that he was actually a good player. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, nine of them with the Hornets. In his first seven years with the team, he averaged between 7.8 and 10.7 assists per game. He’s currently the franchise’s all-time assist leader (a mark Chris Paul won’t break for another two or three seasons, assuming he’s there and healthy) and eighth on the scoring list. If people laugh at you wearing Muggsy’s #1, you can look cool when you drop some knowledge about what he really meant to the team.
“Oh, That’s Funny”:
Glen Rice — Until last week, Rice’s name barely registered in our searches for jerseys. Yes, he was a prolific scorer, but he’d played too many places and others had more of an impact. Then the story that Rice had a one night stand with Sarah Palin back in 1987, and the Internet exploded. Now you can’t mention Glen Rice’s name without it being attached to the Palin one-nighter… and that gives us a whole new reason to rock his #41. Because when you’ve got the kind of game that you’re pulling future VP candidates, the LEAST we can do is honor you for it. So go ahead and wear it to Hornets games or down Bourbon St. and see how often people yell out “Palin”.
There you have it. The four jerseys Hornets fans have got to have. Disagree with us? Let us know who we missed in the comments.
Atlantic Division: Boston, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto
Central Division: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee
Southeast Division: Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, Miami, Washington
Pacific Division: Golden State, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Phoenix, Sacramento
Northwest Division: Denver, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Portland, Utah
Southwest Division: Dallas, Houston, Memphis
Tomorrow: San Antonio
Jeff Garcia collaborated on this post
