NBA franchise based in Charlotte. Plays at Spectrum Center. Member of the Eastern Conference Southeast Division.
The Charlotte Mercury covers the Hornets with a focus on the front office, the business decisions, and what it all means for Charlotte. Not just the box score — the story behind the story.
League
NBA
Arena
Spectrum Center
Ownership
Schnall / Plotkin Group
Status
44-38 · Eliminated · Picks 14 + 18
What We Cover
Trade deadline analysis and front-office strategy. The ownership transition under Schnall and Plotkin and what it means for the franchise's direction. Draft positioning and prospect evaluation — Charlotte holds Pick 14 in the May 12 lottery. The LaMelo Ball question. Arena deals, salary cap mechanics, and the business of running Charlotte's NBA team. Game coverage when it matters — the Hornets beat Miami 127-126 in overtime in the play-in opener (LaMelo Ball 30 and 10), then ran into a 35-point first-half hole at Orlando in the elimination game. Kon Knueppel set the franchise three-point record at 273 over the full season, passing Kemba Walker. Moussa Diabaté won the 2025-26 Kia NBA Hustle Award. Brandon Miller had left-shoulder instability surgery May 7 and is out indefinitely with a full recovery expected. The May 12 lottery confirmed Picks 14 and 18. The 10-year playoff drought extends to eleven.
Why It Matters
Charlotte has had an NBA team since 1988, lost it, got it back, and spent the better part of a decade in the lottery. The 2025-26 season was different — a 44-38 finish after starting 4-14, a nine-game winning streak (the franchise's longest since 1997-98), and a play-in win over Miami at Spectrum Center on April 14, 127-126 in overtime, LaMelo Ball with 30 and 10 and the go-ahead layup in the closing seconds. Three days later in Orlando, the Magic ran out to a 35-point first-half lead and ended Charlotte's season 121-90. The 10-year playoff drought extends. Charlotte holds the No. 14 lottery pick — 0.5% odds at No. 1, 2.4% at top-four — with the lottery on May 12. The Mercury has been here for the whole arc.
Charlotte enters Tuesday at 37-34, one game out of the 8th seed, with Philadelphia and Boston both on the schedule before March ends. The math is workable. The question is whether the Hornets can hold their recent form through a stretch that won't be forgiving.
Brandon Miller scored 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting as the Hornets routed the Nets 117-86 at Barclays Center, snapping a two-game losing streak. Charlotte moves to 40-36, tied with Miami in the play-in race with six games remaining.
Three wins in a row. Thirty-seven and thirty-four. LaMelo Ball dropped 29 on the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at Spectrum Center, and your Charlotte Hornets are about to make some playoff noise. John Speedway on the team nobody expected — and why this one feels different.
The Hornets closed the regular season with a 110-96 win over the Knicks, finishing 44-38 and clinching home-court advantage in the play-in tournament. Charlotte hosts Miami on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in a single-elimination game.
Charlotte hosts Miami in a single-elimination play-in game Tuesday at 7:30 PM. The Hornets finished 44-38 after starting 4-14. The Heat won the season series 3-1. One game from the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2016.
LaMelo Ball dropped 29 on Memphis. The Checkers scored three in the first period. Charlotte FC put up six goals. Three home games, three blowouts, one Saturday in March. Charlotte went 3-0.
The Charlotte Checkers have clinched the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season — and this city is barely paying attention. John Speedway on why the most consistently successful franchise in Charlotte deserves a full house.
The Orlando Magic outscored Charlotte 38-16 in the first quarter and led 68-37 at halftime — the largest halftime margin in the six-year history of the Play-In Tournament. The final was 121-90. Charlotte's 10-year playoff drought extends.
The Checkers swept Lehigh Valley twice at Bojangles Coliseum. Charlotte FC set a franchise record with six goals against the Red Bulls. The Hornets blew out Memphis. Here is where Charlotte's teams stand on Monday morning.
LaMelo Ball scored 35, Miles Bridges went 10-for-12, and Charlotte beat Minnesota 122-108 to move within half a game of sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Kon Knueppel scores 26 with six threes as Charlotte snaps New York's seven-game winning streak, pulling into a tie for eighth in the Eastern Conference with five straight wins.
Charlotte beat Indiana 129-108 for its eighth win in ten games, improving to 42-36 with four games remaining. Five Hornets scored in double figures in a balanced, system-driven performance.
The Charlotte Knights open their 2026 season Friday at Truist Field against the Durham Bulls. First pitch is 7:04 p.m. Here is what to know before you go.
Charlotte blows a 13-point second-half lead as Joel Embiid scores 29 and blocks Brandon Miller's potential game-tying three. The 76ers walk out of Spectrum Center with a 118-114 win that snaps the Hornets' five-game streak and tilts the play-in race.
Dan Morgan spent $165 million on defense and filled the center hole with Luke Fortner. Every Panthers signing, trade, and departure this offseason — tracked and analyzed. Updated March 22.
Charlotte City Council approved $25 million for Bojangles Coliseum HVAC repairs. Two days later, the Checkers clinched their eighth consecutive Calder Cup Playoffs berth. The 70-year-old building and the team are the same story.
Charlotte went 12-for-43 from three against a Boston team missing Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 32 as the Celtics won 114-99. The Hornets drop to 39-36 with seven games left.
Charlotte is home to an AHL hockey team and most people don't know it. The Charlotte Checkers — affiliate of the Florida Panthers — play at Bojangles Coliseum, won the Calder Cup in 2019, and are one of Charlotte's best-kept sports secrets. Here's everything you need to know.
LaMelo Ball scored 30 points with 10 assists and hit the go-ahead layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime. Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell at the buzzer as Charlotte beat Miami 127-126 in the SoFi Play-In Tournament — the franchise's first postseason home win since 2016.
The Charlotte Hornets routed the Sacramento Kings 134-90, tying a franchise record with 26 three-pointers and extending their winning streak to four games. LaMelo Ball passed Dell Curry for second on the franchise's all-time three-point list, and Coby White scored 27 off the bench in his best game since returning from injury.