The Saturday Stinger
Your weekly Charlotte Hornets Notebook that's not afraid to laugh at itself. Not here to convince you with stats, just good prose; I can’t afford Synergy.
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The Sermon on the Spectrum (Center)
My big picture, weekly State of the Hive Address:
This was a last-minute idea, but I quickly realized (after I brushed off writing the whole sermon on this too quickly) that there are so many young fans who may not know who Gil McGregor is.
I’d like to change that, at least a little bit, for the ones who don’t. Young, or not.
Gilbert McGregor Sr. was the long-tenured partner of historic Charlotte Hornets’ PBP voice, Steve Martin. That’s what those of you who know of him probably think of him most for.
What you may not know is that Gil was one of the first few African-American men to play basketball for Wake Forest University. He was also part of the first group of students to integrate Hoke County High School in Raeford, North Carolina, as a teenager in the 60’s.
Wake was the first ACC school to award a scholarship to an African American during the integration era and the end of Jim Crow in 1965, to Norwood Todman. A friend of Todman in New York, Brooklyn Tech’s Charlie Davis, would be the second black basketball player at Wake, with Gil being the third. Davis was McGregor’s teammate, and in Gil’s senior year in 1970-1971, Charlie Davis was the first African-American to be named ACC Player of the Year.
Gil was, very literally, a real-time and active member of Atlantic Coast Conference and North Carolina basketball history.
Gil also played at Wake Forest despite receiving offers from John Wooden and UCLA (Where Lew Alcindor was their starting center), Dean Smith and UNC, Norm Sloan and NC State, Lefty Driesell and Maryland (right after his Davidson stint), and more.
I think my favorite thing about Mr. McGregor from afar, and really, what made me want to briefly write about him, is that when he speaks on this, he is incredibly reluctant to refer to himself as a trailblazer.
How often are we all so quick as humans to want the credit for anything and everything? The first thing Gil will do is tell you that he didn’t go through it alone. He’ll also tell you that there is still so much work to be done today.
An excerpt from Kerry M. King’s profile on Gil in 2024, for the Wake Forest Magazine website:
“I don’t call myself a trailblazer because I was one of the first, but I wasn’t by myself. There were about 20 students who left Upchurch (the all-Black high school) to go to Hoke County High School. I don’t know how many came from Hawkeye (the Native American school). We didn’t have a lot of problems, there weren’t a lot of disruptions or fighting, and not a lot of racial issues that I can recall. I thought that was a good start, and I was part of that start.
“I can recall being on an activity bus going to a game in Dunn (North Carolina) and seeing a billboard on the side of the road with a picture of a klansman on a horse, and the sign says, ‘Welcome to Dunn: Fight integration and Communism.’ Seeing that didn’t make my foul shooting any better, but we gave it to them pretty good that night, and I got my revenge.”
McGregor continued in his same answer to King’s question of why he is reluctant to consider himself a trailblazer:
“Going to Hoke was not part of some movement. My parents and I didn’t go to a church where there were a bunch of people saying, “You have to represent the Black community and go to the white school.” My parents just said, “What would you like to do?”
“In 2017, which was the 50th anniversary of my high school graduation, I was asked to come back and be a part of that ceremony. I didn’t go because I was feeling that things have changed, but not as much as they should have changed. I’m not using the word “token” as it was used back in ’67, but I didn’t want to go back as a representative of how far we’ve come when we haven’t come that far. (In hindsight, he writes, he should have gone. “It’s all right to celebrate past success, but let’s not party too long before we get back to work.)”
Gil Sr. would serve as an academic adviser at Wake after his professional basketball career ended, before spending the rest of his career with the Hornets as a broadcaster.
Mr. McGregor retired in 2012 due to his declining eyesight from Glaucoma. For a long time beforehand, Gil already had vision problems. They dated back decades for him, King says in his WFM article, going back to multiple hits in the face from basketballs, as well as a detached retina injury suffered playing overseas in Italy.
“For a long time, I was a pretty good one-eye basketball player,” Gil told King. “Nobody knew.”
Isn’t that insane to you all? Not in a bad way, of course. I mean simply that, by way of watching Gil on old Hornets broadcasts, you’d never know he’d been dealing with this until he retired in 2012, or if you read his memoir, “The Blind Truth: Lessons from a basketball life.” He speaks with so much joy, and extremely little regret, if any at all.
My stepfather, who may as well just be my dad, has dealt with the early stages of this. It’s a very difficult thing to reconcile with.
My dad got to the same place Gil did, even though he hasn’t lost his sight completely yet: he knows he can’t change the hand he was dealt, and he makes the absolute most of his life still. Whatever that may look like.
Something that most of us struggle with, even with 20/20 vision. It’s a mindset that’s hard to tap into. I can’t recommend his memoir enough to those who love a good sports read and want advice on hardships of MANY shapes and forms, and how to deal with them elegantly.
Just like so many in the old guard and the new guard of Charlotte sports media, Gil spends much of his time nowadays imparting his wisdom to the youth.
He does lots of motivational speaking, and just had a wonderful ceremony thrown for him at Wake Forest earlier this week alongside his son, Gil Jr., who also played basketball at WF. (More below.)
Gil Jr. also covers the Phoenix Suns for PHNX Sports, and ahead of the Hornets/Suns game tomorrow, you guys should absolutely go give your views to Hornets legacy people like him. He’s a great dude.
All this said:
I’m not sure if I went into this with any point to prove or make. I only wanted to share some things from someone I’ve been reading a lot about recently. Well, in retrospect, that is the point of a Sermon, after all, right?
To share a little bit about the legacy of someone whose impact on the Charlotte Hornets, even in his later years, matters deeply.
Steve Martin was incredible, but just like Eric Collins has Dell Curry?
Steve had Gil, and they were an incredible duo.
Lifelong Hornets fans may have seen some bad basketball, but they’ve never once seen a bad broadcaster.
To The Point (Or Die Stinging)
If I don’t get to the point quickly enough here, I succumb to death-by-hornet; I am often left on the floor, full of welts, with no EpiPen in sight:
With their loss to Miami on Friday night, the Hornets fell to 0-3 against the Heat this year, leaving one game left in the regular-season series. It could get murky at the end of the season in a tiebreaker situation with the Hornets’ divisional foes from way-too-far down south. Sidebar: Have you ever driven all the way to Miami? Going one direction on 95 South for 10 hours straight is hell. That’s just going down the state of Florida. It’s crazy.
With only 18 games remaining in the season, the Hornets have the 14th-toughest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon. They play Boston, New York, Phoenix, and Sacramento twice, and have one game left against the Spurs, Pistons, Timberwolves, Pacers, Nets, Grizzlies, and Trailblazers. Buckle up, buttercups.
Charlotte beat Boston so badly that Joe Mazzulla said, “Enough.” Tatum looked great in his first game back for the Celtics, their first game after losing to Charlotte. He was three assists short of a triple-double in just 27 minutes.
Cool Hornets History note: Gil McGregor Sr., former long-time Charlotte Hornets color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Steve Martin, was inducted into the Wake Forest basketball Hall of Fame on March 1st. Editor’s note: I wrote this before the Sermon on the Spectrum became about Mr. McGregor. The current Sting Zone was the original sermon, but the whole point was putting a spin on the term ‘fanalyst’, as you’ll read below. I think real-time updates like this are cool in writing. If you don’t – Ice Cube once said the same thing I’d rebuttal with: “If you don’t like how I’m livin’, well…”
The Hornets, despite their loss to the Heat that ended a six-game win streak, are still carrying a 10-game all-time road winning streak into Phoenix tomorrow.
The Biggest Pain in My Thorax
What’s really bothering my bee-hind this week?:
The dreaded Miami Heat.
Will this pain ever end? The Hornets have been a physical embodiment of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” for 25 years now. You’d think he was a Hornets fan by how bad that ring of fire burned, burned, burned.
They’ve been bothering my bee-hind ever since I witnessed LeBron James stare down Michael Jordan in Game 3 of the 2013-2014 Bobcats/Heat playoff series. Through all the joy that this 2025-2026 Charlotte Hornets team has given those who follow the team…
It figures this is the roadblock that they stumble at. Now, I want to give the Hornets a lot of credit here, too. Friday night’s game at the Spectrum Center was absolutely electric, and the list of Hornets games from this season that will go down as all-timers in this team’s history continues to grow. Even in a loss.
I mentioned this a few weeks ago… but young teams have to lose close games against playoff-experienced players and NBA veteran staffs like the Heat before they can continue to dominate elite teams on a regular basis. It’s a rite of passage for teams filled with youth.
I also mentioned the Hawks in an NBA rivalry rant in this same segment recently. I’m scrapping it.
Direct all your rivalry hatred down way south. Lord knows it has to travel further than if we directed it solely at Atlanta, because no matter how much turmoil the Heat go through, they show up in games like this, year after year.
Just when you think Miami’s down, they turn into your (awfully specific personal metaphor) very overzealous and eager younger brother, who just keeps coming back to the door of your room 20 minutes after you’ve been clear they should go away.
They just keep showing back up when you think they’re finally out.
Erik Spoelstra always has his teams ready for bigger games, especially against less-experienced opponents. Those are the teams, even if talented, that Miami having Spo as the guy in the coaches’ box gives them a virtual sixth man on the court. It allows the Heat to win games sometimes, just like they did last night, where they aren’t considered as ‘talented’, or as ‘hot’ as another team. Spo has done this his whole career.
Credit to Charles Lee for having the stones, and most importantly, the coaching ability to hang with Erik Spoelstra: a no-doubt, sure-fire, hall of fame coach who gave the Hornets his fastball yesterday.
Miami knew how hot Charlotte was. We in the hornetsphere were ALL discussing how important that tiebreaker could be.
There’s no doubt in my mind that’s one of the many reasons we saw Miami’s A+ game yesterday. It was clear from how Miami ran its offense that it had been hard at work prepping for this game.
Kon’s flare/ghost screens weren’t as open as often last night. Brandon Miller had to affect the game differently in the second half after Miami’s adjustments. Miami ALWAYS had a body on Moussa Diabaté. Bam Adebayo was their most important guy all night because of that, and he didn’t even have a great night from the field.
Charlotte only won the battle on the boards by four and had only one more offensive rebound. An uncanny amount of Charlotte’s turnovers down the stretch were self-inflicted, more than they were Miami’s doing – the Heat forced a MASS of difficult shots all night, though.
This game was blow-for-blow all night, and the Hornets didn’t back down, despite the Heat’s preparedness.
Miami may frustrate me to no end; however, they don’t scare me anymore. It’s clear the Hornets (finally) have no fear against their division rival, either.
The proverbial hump wasn’t gotten over against Miami last night – but it’s coming.
Unfortunately, it may not be this year… Like a lot of other historical humps the Hornets have already cleared like Olympic Hurdles.
We can’t have it all in one year. That would take away all the fun of the process along the way.
The Sting Zone (Formerly Known as the Spin Zone)
There’s a reason Madonna said “Girls just want to have fun,” and not “NBA Journalists and Media just want to have fun.” As Hornets fans, we need to help the NBA break the stigma of a ‘fanalyst’:
There were a few things that made me want to write this portion today:
James Plowright’s Buzz Beat+ Substack column on how the fans deserve this current run the Hornets are on, and Russell Westbrook. The former may be easier to explain first.
James was dead on – Charlotte fans have earned this joyous Hornets moment through years of shared suffering. What struck me about James’ article was how he framed his immediate standing within the Hornets world. Not the article itself.
“I’m what you would call a ‘fanalyst’,” James said early in his post. “I cringe every time I hear the word, but fine… it fits.”
My issue has nothing to do with James. Frankly, I’m not even sure if he cringes at the word for the reasons I want to discuss it; namely, because most NBA media frown upon the notion of a ‘fanalyst’ and their untraditional paths.
The word ‘fanalyst’ for James very well could have just had the same effect on him as the word ‘moist’ did on a strangely large number of girls that I went to high school with… I didn’t ask him.
Maybe I should’ve — but I say this to be clear: I’m using his words here to critique them, only because they reminded me of the stigma many folks hold on the word, and it gave me something to write on.
Gosh, you have to be so crystal clear on the internet nowadays. Before I know it, I’m gonna be tagged in a lithouse tweet. Only proper nouns get capitalized, and I don’t think there’s much proper about that operation. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’re better off for it.
Anyways.
Now, I truly believe that ‘fan analyst’ applies to at least 50% of the current Hornets media. Journalist, or not. In part because, for the longest time, the fans were the only people outside of a few salaried beat writers who covered the Hornets, who cared enough to make this team in Charlotte what they lived and breathed.
Given the history of this Charlotte team since the Bobcats gave the NBA a round 30 teams in 2004-2005, it’s understandable. The team is just not very well understood outside of Charlotte.
See, I think sports need more ‘fanalysts.’ In today’s age, more than ever.
I truly believe Rick Bonnell was as close to the line between beat writer and fan that you could be, which, how could he not have been after covering the team since its inception? Of course, he had his optimistic ways, but he was NEVER afraid to tell the truth when it was time. Rick just did it with a lot of grace.
That loops me back around to Russell Westbrook, who had some very serious words to say to the Sacramento Kings media this past week. Words he’s clearly been thinking about for a while on how some of their media portray things about the team.
Now, it’s important to add: real beat writers have to say things that the teams, or a player, doesn’t like. It’s part of their job. But there’s a reason that after 33 years, Rick Bonnell never had this kind of issue with a player like Sacramento media saw with Russ this past week.
And Rick covered his FAIR share of bad teams, in the same vein as this year’s Kings’ team. He just always approached things with class.
The same kind of classiness I witness from most (Charlotte-specific) ‘fanalyst’ media.
Not to call you all out by name, but I’m about to: Doug Branson. Walker Mehl. Matt Alquiza. Brian Gesigner. Richie Randall. Spencer Percy. David Walker. ‘Nata Edwards. James Plowright. Evan Hale. Dylan Jackson is currently headed up this path, as well, just like I’m trying to do. I feel like I’m FORGETTING people, too.
While each of these people gives their own opinions, sometimes harsh, sometimes not, on the Hornets…
It doesn’t even come close to resembling the overbearing criticism that other markets can see from their media, often for clicks or engagement, ‘fanalyst’ or not. The same kind of baseless criticism stuff that Westbrook was mad at his current media in Sacramento for.
Rick had the same kind of respect for how he did his reporting on the team that most Hornets ‘fanalysts’ also have… because, in a different way?
They respect the organization a ton because of their lifelong attachment to the team, just as much as Rick respected the team because of the duty he felt as a living memory of the Hornets. The way Rick treated people and how this team was covered for so long had bled into the Charlotte media culture well before Rick’s tragic passing in 2021.
I really believe the ‘fanalysts’ of Charlotte set the national precedent for how you are supposed to act when given the opportunity to cross the boundary between being a fan and being a media figure. It’s really hard to make, but there’s a reason you see all of them nitpicking small things sometimes. There’s a reason why.
Once you cross that boundary, you HAVE to catch yourself in the act of being overly biased. Especially in writing, but even more so in reporting. That’s incredibly difficult to do. Bill Simmons made an entire career on just deciding that it’s too hard. Leaned into his Boston fandom instead.
The fans of Charlotte gave back to themselves via their own media, and I think it’s a beautiful thing. Just like the quintessential black sheep… nobody wanted us — our attention, clicks, none of it.
People didn’t care about Charlotte unless it was to stir up rumors about LaMelo Ball, most of the time. That’s changed, and it’s important we honor the shepherds (of the Hornets narrative) who provided content through sub-30-win seasons for… years.
Now that everything is changing, those people and ‘fanalysts’ who endured the awful years of basketball deserve just as much credit as the fans.
That sounds dramatic to say, but it’s true. They say make what you love your job, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Making your escapism-from-the-world passion your job, though, even if you love it, can take the shine from the thing you used to run towards to feel no worries. Now, watching can mean a million worries if your mind goes there. That’s a tough transition, guys.
They were there for the sickos when nobody else cared to be… and now they get to be the figureheads of a Charlotte Hornets basketball team that people are actively looking to learn more about at every turn. They deserve it, and I want to say thank you if nobody else will.
I love it; what can I say? I’m a sucker for a poetic ending.
Rest in Peace, Rick.
Until next week... stay sharp.
- O