Dec 20, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) controls the ball against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Sixers Star Shares Unfortunate Reality for Charlotte Hornets

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Justin Grasso | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 8:37 PM ET

If Paul George is ever searching for a new team, you can cross the Charlotte Hornets off his list of desired destinations. The Philadelphia 76ers forward recently dropped a straightforward take on the state of the Hornets’ franchise during a conversation with former Hornets standout Baron Davis.

“If I’m in free agency, I’m not picking Charlotte just because there’s no winning culture there,” George recently said on ‘Podcast P,’ a Wave original.

“Regardless, Charlotte is an amazing city, and would love to play for it because of the city, I could see myself living there. But in terms of a basketball standpoint, I’m not going there. My career is over with if I go there.”

Paul George says his career would be over with if he went to Charlotte pic.twitter.com/UBmi4aEPLr
— Charlottehornetsonly (@ChaHornetsOnly) July 15, 2025

While George’s take might rile up NBA fans, he likely shares a similar sentiment as a lot of NBA stars. The unfortunate reality for the Hornets is that they’ve struggled to play winning basketball since they transitioned from the Bobcats to the Hornets in 2014.

Since the switch, the Hornets have made the playoffs just once. In 2015-2016, Charlotte engaged in a first-round series against the Miami Heat, which resulted in a Heat victory.

Although the Hornets have had some notable homegrown talents flourish, such as Kemba Walker and LaMelo Ball, they have consistently finished outside of the top nine in the Eastern Conference. The last time they finished as high as ninth was during the 2019-2020 NBA season.

Being in a smaller NBA market is already a disadvantage these days. Being in a small market and having little success to show for is a double-negative. George’s opinion on Charlotte is the unfortunate reality for the Hornets’ organization, who have more pressure to draft and develop stars, rather than an opportunity to sell top free agents the future of the team.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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