Record 54–28 (.659) | ||
 | ||
Playoff finish First Round(Eliminated 0–3) | ||
The 1996–97 NBA season was the 9th season of the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Hornets acquired Anthony Mason from the New York Knicks and Vlade Divac from the Los Angeles Lakers. Under new head coach Dave Cowens, the new-look Hornets played better than expected: Divac and Matt Geiger provided the best center combo in the league, Mason averaged a double-double and earned All-NBA third team honors, and Glen Rice had the finest season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring with a career high of 26.8 points per game, and earning All-NBA second team honors. Rice also set several scoring records in the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, and was selected the game's MVP. At midseason, the Hornets traded Scott Burrell to the Golden State Warriors while acquiring Ricky Pierce from the Denver Nuggets. The Hornets went on a nine-game winning streak in April, and finished fourth in the Central Division with a franchise best record at 54–28, making it back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
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In the first round of the playoffs, they were swept by the New York Knicks in three straight games. The Hornets led the NBA in attendance for the eighth and final time during their history in Charlotte. They also had the best three-point percentage in NBA history shooting 42.8% from beyond the arch. Following the season, Pierce re-signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks.
NBA Draft
In the 1996 NBA Draft, the Hornets selected Kobe Bryant with the 13th overall pick. Before he was chosen by the Hornets, the 17-year-old Bryant had made a lasting impression on then-Lakers general manager Jerry West, who immediately foresaw potential in Bryant's basketball ability during pre-draft workouts. West even went on to state that Bryant's workouts were some of the best he had seen. Immediately after the draft, Dave Cowens expressed that the Hornets had no use for him. Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant.
Roster
Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2015–16 season.
Awards and records
Transactions
Released Michael Adams.
Traded Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac.
Released Robert Parish.
Traded Larry Johnson to the New York Knicks for Brad Lohaus and Anthony Mason.
Signed Bob McCann as a free agent.
October 19, 1996
Signed Tony Smith as a free agent.
Waived Brad Lohaus.
Signed Jamie Feick to the first of two 10-day contracts.
Signed Eric Leckner to a 10-day contract.
Signed Tom Chambers to a contract for the rest of the season.
Traded Scott Burrell to the Golden State Warriors for Donald Royal.
Traded Anthony Goldwire and George Zidek to the Denver Nuggets for Ricky Pierce.
Waived Tom Chambers.