1996–97 Charlotte Hornets season

NBA season
team = Charlotte Hornets
misc =
end_year = 1997
wins = 54
losses = 28
division = Central
division_place = 3
conf_place = 5
coach = Dave Cowens
arena = Charlotte Coliseum
owners = George Shinn
television =
radio =
playoffs = First round (eliminated 3–0)
bbr_team = CHH

Offseason

The offseason was again marked by vast changes: Anderson declined to re-sign, Johnson was shipped to the Knicks for power forward Anthony Mason, and lottery draft pick guard Kobe Bryant was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Vlade Divac.

NBA Draft

Before he was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, 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. He went on to state that Bryant's workouts were some of the best he had seen. Immediately after the draft, Bryant expressed that he did not wish to play for the Hornets and wanted to play for the Lakers instead. Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant.

Regular season

The new-look Hornets were better than expected. Vlade Divac and Matt Geiger provided the best center combo in the league. Anthony Mason averaged a double-double and all-NBA third team honors, Muggsy Bogues was back at the point, and Glen Rice was having the finest season of his career, finishing third in the league in scoring and earning all-NBA second team honors. Rice was also the All-Star game MVP, setting several scoring records. The team also sported the best season of their history at the time (54 victories), making it back to the playoffs.

eason standings

Player stats

"Note: GP= Games played; MIN= Minutes; STL= Steals; REB = Rebounds; AST. = Assists; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points"

Award Winners

* NBA All-Star Game MVP, Glen Rice - 1997
* NBA Executive of the Year, Bob Bass - 1997
* All-NBA Second Team, Glen Rice - 1997
* All-NBA Third Team, Anthony Mason - 1997
* NBA All-Defensive Second Team, Anthony Mason - 1997

References

* [http://www.databasebasketball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=CHA&lg=n&yr=1996 Hornets on Database Basketball]
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHH/1997.html Hornets on Basketball Reference]