Jan 19, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; A detail view of the center court logo for Classic Night game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Phoenix Suns at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

Sad state of Charlotte Hornets confirmed after analyst picks franchise-best squad

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 8:00 AM ET

It has been quite some time since the Charlotte Hornets were good. They're coming up on the 10-year anniversary of their last playoff appearance, which was a series they had in hand against the Miami Heat before Dwyane Wade led a comeback and eliminated the Hornets in Game 7.

But even those weren't the best years for the Hornets. To find that, you have to, according to Bleacher Report analyst Andy Bailey, go way further back, like back before the turn of the century. Many fans today weren't even alive to see this particular team.

Charlotte Hornets' best-ever team paints sad picture of recent versions

According to Andy Bailey, the single best team in the history of the Charlotte Hornets is the 1994-95 team. They went 50-32, which is the third-best record in franchise history. It had an SRS (simple rating system) of 2.87, the best in franchise history.

The two teams with better records had worse SRS metrics, meaning that it was a little less impressive when the Hornets won 52 games in 1997-98 or 54 games in 1996-97. Either way, it's been a long time.

"The most iconic thing about the 1990s Charlotte Hornets may well be their white, teal and purple uniforms. As you can see, it wasn't likely to be team success (that SRS ranks 439th in league history)," Bailey noted.

Still, despite not being a dominant squad in comparison to the rest of the NBA and its history, Bailey did say this Hornets team was fun, thanks to some really good players doing cool things on the basketball court.

"Alonzo Mourning averaged 21.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. Larry Johnson added 18.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists," Bailey wrote. "Dell Curry, who finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting, averaged 13.6 points and 2.2 threes while shooting 42.7 percent from deep. And legendarily diminutive point guard Muggsy Bogues put up 11.1 points and 8.7 assists."

And yet, despite all that, this team still lost in the first round. The best team in Hornets history lost in the first round, and the franchise has really never even come close to that height ever since. The current Hornets still feel a few seasons of good work away from reaching that 50-win threshold that hasn't been met since 1997-98.

Maybe the Hornets are building to this level of play again, but it just illustrates how long it's been since the Hornets were good. By SRS, that Kemba Walker-led 2015-16 team that went to the playoffs ranks third, so even that wasn't a dominant season.