Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets continue tweaking roster, waive former UNC standout Leaky Black

Leaky Black was released by the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
Leaky Black was released by the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. USA TODAY NETWORK

Leaky Black won’t be wearing the colors of his hometown team any longer.

The Charlotte Hornets waived Black on Thursday, ending his tenure with the franchise after one season. Initially signed to a two-way deal as an undrafted free agent following his final year at North Carolina, Black appeared in 26 games, starting three, and averaged 2.7 points, 1.8 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game.

The Concord native also saw action in seven games for the Greensboro Swarm in the G League, posting 10.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals in 26.1 minutes per game. Known for his defense, Black showed improvement during the Hornets’ summer league run, displaying an improved jumper.

But apparently it wasn’t enough of a boost to help him stick with the Hornets.

Black’s release opens up another two-way slot for the Hornets. They officially signed Moussa Diabaté to a two-way deal on Wednesday, and Diabaté joins rookie KJ Simpson as the two players scheduled to shuffle back and forth between the Swarm and the Hornets.

Charlotte also has an open spot on its main roster, providing president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson with the ability to tinker with the back end of the team’s depth chart leading into training camp next month.

This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 6:23 PM.

Roderick Boone
The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly. Support my work with a digital subscription
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