An Ode To The Original Charlotte Hornet

A thank you to a franchise legend and community champion: Dell Curry

The Charlotte Hornets will be immortalizing a jersey in the rafters of Spectrum Center on Thursday, adding to the lone Hornets name of the late Bobby Phills, and there is no better candidate than Phills’ teammate, Dell Curry.

The two shared the hardwood 55 times and were a part of the 97-98 Hornets team that handed the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls their 21st loss of the season in the second round of the playoffs.

Now, the pair will be side-by-side in the rafters of Spectrum Center.

The history of the Charlotte Hornets and of Dell Curry began on the same date: June 23, 1988. The newly established team in Charlotte selected Curry with their first expansion draft pick.

And with that, he became the first-ever Charlotte Hornet.

Dell Curry wore the classic Hornets pinstripes for the next 10 seasons, becoming a legend in purple and teal. He holds what is still a franchise record of 701 games played, operating as one of the league’s premier shooters.

That shooting ability would earn him a slot representing the Hornets in two 3-point contests at the 1992 and 1994 All-Star weekend(s).

Curry averaged 2.9 3-point attempts per game across his 16 years in the league, with the ball finding home in the basket 40.2 percent of the time.

His best ball was played from ‘92 through ‘97, when he averaged 15 points for a Hornets team that reached the playoffs three different times.

Curry was an incredible bench scorer during that stretch. Consequently, received votes for sixth man in four of those years, and won the award itself in 1994 when he averaged a career high 16.3 points.

Curry remains the only Hornet to win the award.

When the time came to retire, Curry had become the franchise leader in points (9,839), field goals (3,951), 3-point field goals (929), and games played (701).

To this day, he remains in the franchise’s top ten for minutes played, assists, steals, and points, where he was only overtaken by the great Kemba Walker in 2018.

Curry was one of the true pioneers of the 3-pointer, helping to lay the foundation for the style of play that came after him. Upon his retirement in 2002, Curry was 10th in all-time 3-point field goals.

Curry would not stay out of basketball upon his retirement, though.

Mirroring his beginning with the Charlotte Hornets, he was working in the front office of the Bobcats upon their inception. He began work as the Bobcats’ Director of Basketball Relations in 2003.A year later, his role changed to become the Director of Player Programs.

Next, he held a brief role on Sam Vincent’s coaching team in 2007, but would pivot into a community role to follow his two sons in their young basketball careers.

Those sons, of course, were Seth and Steph Curry.

Seth has had a strong 12-year career in the league as a knockdown shooter with a career average 3-point percentage of 43%. Seth even played for the Hornets for a season and a half, where he, of course, wore the iconic ‘Curry #30’ jersey, invoking nostalgia amongst original fans who witnessed Dell play.

Seth naturally became a fan favorite, registering a career-high 45% 3-point percentage.

As for Steph, well, he went on to become the greatest shooter of all time.

Steph propelled the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championships, winning two regular-season MVP awards along the way, among a long list of other awards and accolades. Naturally, he is the league’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals, with a staggering 4,233 to his name, and rising.Steph is widely regarded as a top-2 point guard of all-time.

Starting in 2009, Dell began calling Hornets broadcasts as a game analyst, which he continues to this day, now alongside play-by-play commentator Eric Collins.

The duo bounces off one another, making for an enjoyable viewing experience, regardless of the quality of basketball on court over the years.

They’re an incredible pairing and have since gotten their flowers on the national stage as they landed spots on Amazon’s Prime coverage for the 2025-26 season.

Curry frequently provides those broadcasts with sweet honey in the form of little pieces of information and insight that only a player of his locality, quality, experience, and understanding of the game could convey to the viewers.

Curry still represents the Hornets wherever he goes in an ambassador role. In 2019, when All-Star Weekend rolled into Charlotte, Dell participated in a 3-point charity shooting event alongside NBA legends Ray Allen, Glen Rice & Mark Price.

From 1988 to 2026, Dell Curry has proven it is only fitting to retire his jersey and honour his incredible legacy to the organization and city.

When current and future Hornets step out on that hardwood and peer into the rafters they’ll see “Curry #30”.. Dell has and continues to give the franchise, city, and community his all.

He is what a professional athlete should be. He is an exemplary human being.

He’s THE Charlotte Hornet.

Dell has bled purple-and-teal for a rather fitting 30+ years. That level of loyalty and commitment is rare not just in the sports world, but in life.

His on-court play helped revolutionize the game. His charitable and personal efforts speak volumes to who he is.

Dell Curry represents what we should aspire to be: that of someone who represents and helps their community.

Not because there is some extrinsic reward attached, but because it’s the right thing to do.

Thank you Dell,

from Buzz City