As NBA Draft Lottery clock starts ticking, when will Hornets reward playoff-starved fans?
Just pondering a potential playoff atmosphere was enough to evoke a smirk from Mark Williams.
“Yeah, for sure,” the Charlotte Hornets center said. “I think the fans here are super loyal, here through ups and downs. Me personally, being at a couple of playoff games and seeing that experience is cool. So to be able to bring that here would be special for sure. I think the city deserves it.”
Instead of getting all glammed up for a postseason party, though, Spectrum Center is now hours from being shuttered for the next six months, closing its doors to the public while Phase II of the building’s multi-million dollar renovation takes place to transform the lower bowl and other areas on the event level.
Nine years have gone by since uptown Charlotte was jumping during the NBA playoffs, taking its slice of the national spotlight. Factoring in Wednesday night’s 126-96 road loss to the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, the Hornets have compiled a 67-177 record over the last two-plus seasons.
They’re annual participants in the NBA Draft Lottery, and yet not even that numbing reality kept the fans from showing up and cheering wildly when circumstances warranted.
Charlotte amassed 13 sellouts in 2024-25, averaging 17,169 fans per game — numbers that stand out considering the Hornets totaled 12 home wins in their 41 outings at the corners of North Caldwell and East Trade streets. And that loyalty hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“It feels good — it feels like they’ve got our back and that’s real sixth-man activity,” Miles Bridges said. “It’s easy to be a fan of somebody when you are winning, but when you are having ups and downs, it’s kind of hard. So, kudos to them.”
Two games remain in the Hornets’ regular season, with both coming in Boston against the Celtics, and Charlotte’s magic number to clinch a spot among the NBA’s three worst records stands at one. That would give the Hornets a 14% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery on May 12 in Chicago, providing them with the potential golden opportunity to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg.
Flagg’s arrival, paired with some of the young talent already wearing purple and teal, would inject even more life into a fan base starved for a winner. The passion for pro hoops in the region is deep, and the level of support is something that caught the attention of the Hornets’ first-year coach.
“I think it’s really special,” Charles Lee said. “It’s a huge part of the reason why I signed up to come be the head coach of this team. There’s obviously a lot of other factors, but one of the things is I just think the Carolinas are a special sports state, a basketball state. I think the resiliency and everything that’s been built up here, I think seeing that we can mirror a lot of that is really cool.”
The next step is to end the lengthy drought.
That topic comes up constantly among the players, though not as frequently right now due to the season’s end being within arm’s reach.
“It definitely gets talked about,” Williams said. “ Obviously, at this point in the year right now it’s about building toward the offseason, building towards the start of next year. Not just throwing these last couple of games away. Just trying to build some good habits leading into the summer, and in the summer building good habits until the start of next season. I think that’s for anybody, “So, I think that’s really important.”
Particularly, if they are as driven for a postseason berth as they suggest.
“Yeah for sure,” Bridges said. “I haven’t been to the playoffs yet and I’ve always been a winning player. So, I for sure want to make the playoffs and I know our fans do, too. So, that’s the main focus and we have a big summer ahead of us. And we all are going to be locked in.”
To help that happen, Bridges intends on reinforcing the message periodically.
“Just staying on everybody about being in the gym, watching film all that stuff,” Bridges said. “Summer is a time to get your body right but at the same time you still need to put that work in. So, I want everybody to know that.”
