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1997–98 Charlotte Hornets season

NBA professional basketball team season

NBA professional basketball team season

FieldValue
teamCharlotte Hornets
end_year1998
wins51
losses31
division_place3
divisionCentral
conf_place4
coachDave Cowens
gmBob Bass
ownerGeorge Shinn
arenaCharlotte Coliseum
playoffs[Conference semifinals](1998-nba-playoffs-bracket)
(lost to [Bulls](1997-98-chicago-bulls-season) 1–4)
bbr_teamCHH
radioWBT

(lost to Bulls 1–4)

  • Fox Sports South
  • WJZY
  • WFVT

The 1997–98 Charlotte Hornets season was the tenth season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Hornets signed free agents David Wesley, and Bobby Phills, while re-signing former Hornets forward J.R. Reid. Early into the regular season, the team traded long-time Hornets guard Muggsy Bogues, along with second-year guard Tony Delk to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for B. J. Armstrong, who won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s.

At mid-season, the team signed free agent Vernon Maxwell, who was previously released by the Orlando Magic, as the Hornets held a 29–18 record at the All-Star break. Despite injuries to Phills, Vlade Divac and long-time original Hornet Dell Curry, the Hornets had another stellar season by posting a ten-game winning streak between February and March, winning 15 of 16 games between February 21 and March 26, 1998. The Hornets finished in third place in the Central Division with a 51–31 record, earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualified for their fourth NBA playoff appearance.

Glen Rice led the Hornets in scoring with 22.3 points per game, led them with 130 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Wesley averaged 13.0 points, 6.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and Anthony Mason provided the team with 12.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. In addition, Phills contributed 10.4 points per game, while Divac averaged 10.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Matt Geiger provided with 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Curry contributed 9.4 points per game in only 52 games, while Maxwell contributed 6.8 points per game in 31 games, Reid averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, and Armstrong provided with 3.9 points and 2.3 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Rice was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his third and final All-Star appearance. In addition, Rice participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the fourth consecutive year, and also participated in the inaugural NBA 2Ball Competition, along with Andrea Stinson of the WNBA's Charlotte Sting. Rice also finished in eleventh place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Mason finished tied in ninth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Geiger finished tied in 13th place in Most Improved Player voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Hornets faced off against the 5th–seeded Atlanta Hawks, a team that featured All-Star center, and Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo, All-Star guard Steve Smith, and Mookie Blaylock; Smith was Rice's former teammate on the Miami Heat. The Hornets won the first two games at home at the Charlotte Coliseum, before losing Game 3 to the Hawks on the road by a 32-point margin, 96–64 at the Georgia Dome. The Hornets then won Game 4 over the Hawks on the road, 91–82 to win the series in four games.

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, and 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls, who won the Central Division title, and were led by the trio of All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Michael Jordan, All-Star forward Scottie Pippen, and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman. After losing Game 1 at the United Center, 83–70, the Hornets managed to defeat the Bulls in Game 2 on the road, 78–76 to even the series. However, the Hornets then lost their next two home games at the Charlotte Coliseum, before losing Game 5 to the Bulls at the United Center, 93–84, thus losing the series in five games. The Bulls would go on to reach the 1998 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Utah Jazz in six games to win their third consecutive NBA championship, and sixth overall in eight years.

The Hornets finished second in the NBA in home-game attendance behind the Bulls, with an attendance of 959,634 at the Charlotte Coliseum during the regular season. On November 25, 1997, the team's sellout streak would end at 364 consecutive games (371 including post-season contests); this was the second longest active sell-out streak at the time, behind the Bulls' 465.

Following the season, Divac and Maxwell both signed as free agents with the Sacramento Kings, while Curry signed with the Milwaukee Bucks after ten seasons with the Hornets, and Geiger signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. For the season, the Hornets added side panels and additional pinstripes to their uniforms, which would remain in use until 2002.

As of 2025, this was the last season in which the franchise won 50 or more games during the regular season.

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1997 NBA draft

The Hornets had no draft picks in 1997.

Roster

  • Dave Cowens
  • Mark Osowski
  • Lee Rose
  • Paul Silas

Regular season

Season standings

Game log

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 23 | Atlanta | W 97–87 | Glen Rice (34) | Divac, Mason (7) | David Wesley (12) | Charlotte Coliseum 19,176 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 25 | Atlanta | W 92–85 | Anthony Mason (25) | Glen Rice (13) | Divac, Wesley (6) | Charlotte Coliseum 20,390 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | April 28 | @ Atlanta | L 64–96 | Anthony Mason (12) | Vlade Divac (7) | Divac, Wesley (5) | Georgia Dome 19,745 | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | May 1 | @ Atlanta | W 91–82 | Anthony Mason (29) | Anthony Mason (14) | David Wesley (10) | Georgia Dome 22,074 | 3–1

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | May 3 | @ Chicago | L 70–83 | Glen Rice (25) | Vlade Divac (14) | David Wesley (9) | United Center 23,844 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | May 6 | @ Chicago | W 78–76 | Mason, Curry (15) | Vlade Divac (19) | Mason, Rice (4) | United Center 23,844 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | May 8 | Chicago | L 89–103 | Glen Rice (31) | Vlade Divac (13) | David Wesley (8) | Charlotte Coliseum 23,799 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | May 10 | Chicago | L 80–94 | Vlade Divac (15) | Glen Rice (9) | Anthony Mason (5) | Charlotte Coliseum 23,799 | 1–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | May 13 | @ Chicago | L 84–93 | Glen Rice (30) | Vlade Divac (15) | three players tied (5) | United Center 23,844 | 1–4

Player statistics

Ragular season

PlayerPOSGPGSMPREBASTSTLBLKPTSMPGRPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
SF**82****82****3,295**3531827722**1,826****40.2**4.32.2.9.3**22.3**
PG81812,845213**529****140**301,05435.12.6**6.5****1.7**.413.0
PF81803,148**826**34268181,03938.9**10.2**4.2.8.212.8
PF7911,10921051351938414.02.7.6.4.24.9
C78421,83952178688788523.66.71.0.91.111.3
C64411,80551817283**94**66728.28.12.71.3**1.5**10.4
SG62611,887216187811864230.43.53.01.3.310.4
†PG6207726914425024412.51.12.3.4.03.9
PG5914738909833719112.51.51.7.6.13.2
SG5219711016931449018.71.91.3.6.19.4
SF39036592201851369.42.4.5.5.13.5
†SG310467444014321015.11.41.3.5.16.8
†SF2953053716617410.51.3.6.2.02.6
C272169325104676.31.2.2.4.12.5
†PG30342300811.3.71.0.0.02.7
†PG2016142068.0.52.01.0.03.0
†SG10110100011.0.01.0.0.0.0
C104100004.01.0.0.0.0.0
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Hornets only.

Playoffs

PlayerPOSGPGSMPREBASTSTLBLKPTSMPGRPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
SF**9****9****369**511353**205****41.0**5.71.4.6.3**22.8**
PF**9****9**36771318013940.87.93.4.9.015.4
C**9****9**345**98**317**14**10438.3**10.9**3.4.8**1.6**11.6
PG**9****9**28518**60**709031.72.0**6.7**.8.010.0
SG**9****9**2692324**10**25729.92.62.7**1.1**.26.3
SG**9**01711910735219.02.11.1.8.35.8
PG**9**01461018603716.21.12.0.7.04.1
PF**9**0114202323012.72.2.2.3.23.3
PG60261040154.3.2.0.7.02.5
SF4028410097.01.0.3.0.02.3
C4022510025.51.3.3.0.0.5
SF4018501154.51.3.0.3.31.3

Awards and records

  • Glen Rice, All-NBA Third Team

Transactions

  • July 1, 1997

Released Rafael Addison.

Signed David Wesley as a free agent.

  • July 16, 1997

Signed J.R. Reid as a free agent.

  • August 19, 1997

Signed Bobby Phills as a free agent.

Released Malik Rose.

Waived Ricky Pierce.

  • September 10, 1997

Signed Tony Farmer as a free agent.

Signed Travis Williams as a free agent.

  • October 2, 1997

Signed Corey Beck as a free agent.

  • November 7, 1997

Traded Muggsy Bogues and Tony Delk to the Golden State Warriors for B. J. Armstrong.

  • January 16, 1998

Signed Donald Royal to the first of two 10-day contracts.

  • January 22, 1998

Signed Michael McDonald as a free agent.

  • February 2, 1998

Signed Jeff Grayer to a 10-day contract.

Signed Vernon Maxwell to a 10-day contract.

  • February 4, 1998

Signed Donald Royal to a contract for the rest of the season.

  • February 13, 1998

Signed Vernon Maxwell to a contract for the rest of the season.

  • March 24, 1998

Waived Tony Farmer.

Player Transactions Citation:

References

References

  1. [https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHH/1998.html 1997-98 Charlotte Hornets]
  2. (July 2, 1997). "Hornets Get Wesley, a Free Agent". The New York Times.
  3. (July 2, 1997). "The Charlotte Hornets Signed Free Agent Point...". Los Angeles Times.
  4. Nowell, Paul. (July 2, 1997). "Expendable Wesley to Hornets". South Coast Today.
  5. (August 20, 1997). "Hornets Sign Phills". The New York Times.
  6. (August 20, 1997). "Hornets Complete Renovation of Backcourt by Signing Phills". Los Angeles Times.
  7. (August 20, 1997). "Hornets Sign Phills". The Spokesman-Review.
  8. Macenka, Joe. (July 16, 1997). "Reid Gets Second Shot in Charlotte; J.R. Reid Is Again a Charlotte Hornet, This Time as a Backup for Anthony Mason". Greensboro News and Record.
  9. (July 17, 1997). "Reid Back with Hornets". The New York Times.
  10. (November 8, 1997). "PRO BASKETBALL; Bogues Is Traded". The New York Times.
  11. (November 8, 1997). "Hornets Swap Bogues, Delk for Armstrong". Deseret News.
  12. Steele, David. (November 8, 1997). "Unhappy Armstrong Shipped to Charlotte". SFGate.
  13. (February 4, 1998). "N.B.A.: LAST NIGHT; Newly Signed Maxwell Delivers When It Counts". The New York Times.
  14. "NBA Games Played on February 5, 1998". Basketball-Reference.
  15. "1997–98 Charlotte Hornets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
  16. "1997–98 Charlotte Hornets Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  17. Howard-Cooper, Scott. (January 28, 1998). "Lakers Get Four-Star Rating as Van Exel, Jones Honored". Los Angeles Times.
  18. (September 13, 2021). "1998 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
  19. "1998 NBA All-Star Game: East 135, West 114". Basketball-Reference.
  20. (January 21, 1998). "NBA Long-Distance Shootout Roster". Record-Journal.
  21. "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference.
  22. Withers, Tom. (February 8, 1998). "Cooper, Drexler Win 2Ball Contest". The Day.
  23. Bender, Patricia. "1997–98 All-Star Events and Contestants - in New York". Eskimo.com.
  24. "1997–98 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
  25. (April 29, 1998). "Hot Hawks Handle Hapless Hornets". Deseret News.
  26. (April 29, 1998). "SuperSonics Facing Elimination Again". Los Angeles Times.
  27. (April 29, 1998). "Atlanta Laughs at Elimination". Tampa Bay Times.
  28. (May 2, 1998). "N.B.A.: PLAYOFFS; Mason Leads Charge as Hornets Top Hawks". The New York Times.
  29. (May 2, 1998). "Mason Has 29 Points as Hornets Advance". The Washington Post.
  30. "1998 NBA Eastern Conference First Round: Hawks vs. Hornets". Basketball-Reference.
  31. Armour, Nancy. (May 6, 1998). "Hornets 78, Bulls 76". Associated Press.
  32. (May 7, 1998). "N.B.A.: PLAYOFFS; Charlotte Stuns Chicago as Reserves Take Over". The New York Times.
  33. Bembry, Jerry. (May 7, 1998). "Hornets Steal One from Bulls, 78-76 Controlling Jordan, Charlotte Ties Series". The Baltimore Sun.
  34. (May 14, 1998). "THE N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; The Bulls Finish Off Charlotte to Advance". The New York Times.
  35. (May 14, 1998). "It's Bulls vs. Pacers for Title in East". Los Angeles Times.
  36. "1998 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals: Hornets vs. Bulls". Basketball-Reference.
  37. Araton, Harvey. (June 15, 1998). "Sports of the Times; At the End, Jordan Lifts Bulls to Their Sixth N.B.A. Title". The New York Times.
  38. Howard-Cooper, Scott. (June 15, 1998). "A Rousing Six-cess". Los Angeles Times.
  39. "1998 NBA Finals: Bulls vs. Jazz". Basketball-Reference.
  40. "1997–98 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.
  41. (November 25, 1997). "Charlotte's Sellout Streak Ends at 364 Games". Associated Press.
  42. (November 26, 1997). "The Houston Rockets, Who Will Be Without...". Los Angeles Times.
  43. (January 22, 1999). "Kings Sign Center Vlade Divac". CBS News.
  44. (January 23, 1999). "Around the NBA". Los Angeles Times.
  45. (January 23, 1999). "NBA DEALINGS: McDyess, Divac and Smith Sign". Kitsap Sun.
  46. (January 23, 1999). "Bucks Add Veteran Curry". United Press International.
  47. (April 1, 1999). "Bucks' Victory Will Cost Karl Dinner Money". Los Angeles Times.
  48. Adande, J.A.. (January 30, 1999). "Geiger Counter Is Off". Los Angeles Times.
  49. Wise, Mike. (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times.
  50. "NBA Atlantic Division Capsules". The Washington Post.
  51. "Charlotte Hornets Uniform".
  52. "Charlotte Hornets Uniform".
  53. "1997–98 Charlotte Hornets Transactions". Basketball-Reference.
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