1995–96 Charlotte Hornets season
The 1995–96 NBA season was the 8th season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Hornets re-acquired former guard Kendall Gill from the Seattle SuperSonics. On the first day of the regular season, which began on November 3, 1995, the Hornets acquired Glen Rice, Matt Geiger and second-year guard Khalid Reeves from the Miami Heat. The Hornets got off to a slow start losing eight of their first eleven games, but played around .500 as the season progressed. In January, they traded Gill and Reeves to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Kenny Anderson, who became the team's starting point guard, while Muggsy Bogues sat out with a knee injury that only limited him to just six games. Scott Burrell was also out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury after only playing just 20 games.
| 1995–96 Charlotte Hornets season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Allan Bristow |
| General manager | Bob Bass |
| Owner(s) | George Shinn |
| Arena | Charlotte Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 41–41 (.500) |
| Place | Division: 6th (Central) Conference: 9th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television |
|
| Radio | WBT |
The Hornets continued to play around .500, holding a 22–24 record at the All-Star break, and finishing sixth in the Central Division with a 41–41 record, missing the Playoffs by finishing just one game behind the 8th-seeded Miami Heat. The Hornets, along with the Indiana Pacers, were the only two teams in the league to defeat the Chicago Bulls on the road during their historic 72–10 season, as the Hornets defeated the Bulls, 98–97 at the United Center on April 8, 1996.
Rice led the team in scoring averaging 21.6 points per game, and was selected to play in the 1996 NBA All-Star Game. In addition, Larry Johnson averaged 20.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, while sixth man Dell Curry provided the team with 14.5 points per game, Burrell contributed 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and Geiger provided with 11.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The Hornets led the NBA in home-game attendance for the seventh time in their eight-year history.
Following the season, Johnson was traded to the New York Knicks, while Anderson signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers, Robert Parish signed with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Adams retired, and head coach Allan Bristow resigned after five seasons with the franchise.