Every NBA team’s Mount Rushmore

Charlotte Hornets

Muggsy Bogues is perhaps the most easily identifiable player in Hornets’ history. At just 5-foot-3, Bogues was one of the smallest players to suit up in the modern era. Bogues began his career with the Washington Bullets before being selected by the Hornets in the 1988 NBA Expansion Draft (he was the team’s No. 3 pick) and playing nearly ten seasons in Charlotte. Bogues is still the franchise’s all-time leader in minutes played, assists and steals.

Larry Johnson played just five seasons for the Hornets and you won’t find his name splashed across their record books. However, Johnson was the team’s first star. Taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, Johnson went on to win Rookie of the Year and then lead the Hornets to their first ever playoff appearance in his second season. Johnson helped shape the first successful era of Hornets basketball.

Dell Curry might be best known for his talented children, be he was also a huge part of the Hornets franchise. Curry was taken with the Hornets’ first pick in the 1988 Expansion Draft and his outside shooting was one of the most consistent features of their early teams. Curry played 10 seasons for Charlotte and is still the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, points, and 3-pointers.

Gerald Wallace never actually played for the Hornets, his entire tenure with the franchise came when they where the Charlotte Bobcats. (The franchise that had been the Hornets became the Pelicans and the Bobcats absorbed the team’s history and records). Wallace was far-and-away the best player of the Bobcats era, an energetic and athletic presence in the frontcourt. He also helped lead the team to their first playoff appearance as the Bobcats.