Dell Curry’s ‘hungry’ mic drop on Hornets flipping sad-sack narrative on its head

The Charlotte Hornets are currently gearing up for their NBA play-in nine vs ten game on Tuesday night against the Miami Heat at home. The Hornets stumbled a bit at the end of the season, but still had a successful second half of the campaign, blowing away expectations and establishing themselves as a young team on the rise in the East.

Recently, Hornets commentator and former team sharpshooter Dell Curry spoke on what has made this group so beloved by the city down the stretch of the 2025-26 campaign.

“Charlotte’s been starving,” Curry said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “It’s been hungry for a team to play like this.”

The Hornets haven’t made the NBA playoffs since the 2016 season, when they were escorted out of the first round by Dwyane Wade and the Heat in seven games.

This time around, the Hornets will hope to have a bit more success against Miami, a team against whom they experienced some success during the 2025-26 season.

Hornets trade acquisition Coby White also got honest on how the team has transformed itself into a legit competitive NBA squad throughout the season.

“We just continue to change the narrative,” he said. “Before, people weren’t serious about Hornets basketball. Sports analysts made jokes on TV. A lot of guys in the locker room were offended and took that to heart. So you see the way that they play — they’re tired of that narrative here.

“Now I think the world is starting to see how serious Hornets basketball is.”

The Hornets will hope that their regular season success translates into the postseason, beginning on Tuesday against Miami, with the loser going home. If the Hornets win that round, they will next hit the floor on Friday against either the Orlando Magic or Philadelphia 76ers.