The 1989–90 NBA season was the Charlotte Hornets' second season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

. In the

1989 NBA draft The 1989 NBA draft took place on June 27, 1989, in New York City. Despite eight of the top ten picks being considered busts, including the first two picks Pervis Ellison and Danny Ferry, the draft produced many talented players such as Shawn Ke ...

, the Hornets selected J.R. Reid from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

with the fifth overall pick. The Hornets moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference, also switching from the Atlantic Division to the Midwest Division for the season. In December, the team traded

Kurt Rambis Darrell Kurt Rambis (born February 25, 1958) is a Greek-American former professional basketball player and coach who is a senior basketball adviser for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he won fou ...

to the Phoenix Suns for Armen Gilliam. Gilliam would lead the Hornets in scoring averaging 18.8 points per game. Head Coach

Dick Harter Richard Alvin Harter (October 14, 1930 – March 12, 2012) was an American basketball coach who served as both a head and assistant coach in both the NBA and NCAA. Early life Born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Harter attended the University ...

was replaced by

Gene Littles Eugene Scape Littles (June 29, 1943 – September 10, 2021) was an American basketball player and coach. He played six seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Carolina Cougars and Kentucky Colonels between 1969 and 1975. Litt ...

at midseason, following a disappointing 8–32 start. The team finished the season with a record of 19 wins and 63 losses, one game worse than the previous year. Reid was named to the All-Rookie Second Team. Despite the lack of success on the court, the Hornets sold out every home game, finishing second in the NBA in attendance during the season.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Awards and records

* J. R. Reid,

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...

2nd Team

Transactions

* August 16, 1989 Signed

Clifford Lett Clifford Earl Lett (born December 23, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player. Born in Pensacola, Florida, he played briefly in the NBA in the early 1990s, and played as a 6'3" (1.90 m) and 170 lb (77 kg) guard. ...

as a free agent. * September 11, 1989 Traded Tim Kempton to the Denver Nuggets for a 1991 2nd round draft pick ( Kevin Lynch was later selected). Signed

Jerry Sichting Jerry Lee Sichting (born November 29, 1956) is an American basketball coach and retired player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school career Jerry Sichting, the , point guard from Martinsville, Indiana, attended Martinsv ...

as a free agent. * September 26, 1989 Signed

Kenny Gattison Kenneth Clay Gattison (born May 23, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player and National Basketball Association (NBA) assistant coach. College career Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Gattison was a four-year lettermen at Old ...

as a free agent. * September 28, 1989 Signed Terry Dozier as a free agent. * October 5, 1989 Signed

Andre Turner Andre Devalle Turner (born March 13, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the head coach for Lane College. A 5'11", point guard, he played collegi ...

as a free agent. * October 17, 1989 Traded Robert Reid to the Portland Trail Blazers for

Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017) was an American film and television actor. Among his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman, the boss of Steve Austin ( Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers ( Lindsay Wagner) i ...

. * October 19, 1989 Waived

. * October 23, 1989 Waived

. * October 31, 1989 Waived

. * November 1, 1989

claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Clippers. * November 23, 1989 Signed

as a free agent. * November 25, 1989 Greg Kite signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Sacramento Kings. * November 27, 1989 Waived Terry Dozier. * December 2, 1989 Signed

as a free agent. * December 3, 1989 Waived

. * December 13, 1989 Traded

, a 1990 2nd round draft pick (

Negele Knight Negele Oscar Knight (born March 6, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played six National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons for the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons and Toront ...

was later selected) and a 1991 2nd round draft pick ( Chad Gallagher was later selected) to the Phoenix Suns for Armen Gilliam. Signed Robert Reid as a free agent. * February 22, 1990 Traded Stuart Gray to the New York Knicks for a 1991 2nd round draft pick ( Jimmy Oliver was later selected). Traded a 1991 2nd round draft pick ( Jimmy Oliver was later selected) to the Cleveland Cavaliers for

Randolph Keys Randolph Keys (born April 19, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player who played five National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons in his career for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwauke ...

. * February 23, 1990 Waived

. * March 13, 1990 Signed

Micheal Williams Micheal Douglas Williams (born July 23, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player turned businessman that played the point guard position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He holds the NBA record for most consecutive ...

to the first of two 10-day contracts. * April 2, 1990 Signed

to a contract for the rest of the season. * April 14, 1990 Signed Ralph Lewis to a 10-day contract. Player Transactions Citation:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1989-90 Charlotte Hornets season Charlotte Hornets seasons Char 1989 in sports in North Carolina

Tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bi ...