The Charlotte Hornets are one of the saddest franchises not just in the NBA but in pro sports. Hope and success have both been elusive for Charlotte, which last made the NBA Playoffs in 2016. Over the last three seasons, the Hornets won only a total of 67 games. It’s hard to be a Hornets fan, and deciding to be one can mean guaranteed sports melancholia.
The lack of franchise success for the Hornets was recently called out by a ringless NBA superstar in Paul George during an episode on his podcast.
“If I’m in free agency, I’m not picking Charlotte, just because there’s no winning culture there alone,” George said (h/t Jasmyn Wimbish of CBS Sports).
George then favorably described Charlotte, but also essentially said that signing with the Hornets is a career-killer.
“Regardless, Charlotte is an amazing city, would love to play for [the Hornets] because of the city, like I could see myself living there. But in terms of a basketball standpoint, my career’s over with if I’m going there.
Hornets fans have an axe to grind with what George said, but they can also just ignore him because who wants to waste time talking about what the nine-time NBA All-Star had to say about the franchise when Charlotte has Knueppel doing this in the NBA Summer League?
And this?
And this?
Selected fourth overall in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft, Knueppel has been a source of joy during the dog days of summer for Charlotte fans.
On Friday, the former Duke Blue Devils star shined for the Hornets again, helping Charlotte eke out a 106-81 win over the San Antonio Spurs in a Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Knueppel dropped 19 points on an efficient 7-for-13 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers, six assists and five rebounds in 29 minutes.
Some thought Knueppel was a reach at his draft pick position, but he could be just the young asset who perfectly fits alongside LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges.
