The

1997–98 NBA season The 1997–98 NBA season was the 52nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their third straight championship and sixth in the last eight years, beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the 19 ...

was the tenth season for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

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 season, the team traded long-time Hornets guard Muggsy Bogues, along with second-year guard

Tony Delk Tony Lorenzo Delk (born January 28, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player and college assistant coach. He last served as an assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. During his playing days, he w ...

to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

in exchange for B. J. Armstrong, who won three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s. At midseason, the team signed free agent Vernon Maxwell, who was previously released by the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, 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 posting a ten-game winning streak between February and March, winning 15 of 16 games between February 21 and March 26. The Hornets finished the season third in the Central Division with a 51–31 record, and qualified for their fourth playoff appearance. Glen Rice led the team in scoring with 22.3 points per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and selected for the

1998 NBA All-Star Game The 1998 NBA All-Star Game was the 48th edition of the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game. The event was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The East won the game 135–114. Besides the NBA All-Star game, there were t ...

, 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, Matt Geiger provided with 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and Curry contributed 9.4 points per game off the bench in only 52 games. In the playoffs, the Hornets defeated the Atlanta Hawks 3–1 in the Eastern Conference First Round, but were eliminated 1–4 by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

, Scottie Pippen and the 2-time defending champion Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, despite winning Game 2 at the United Center 78–76. The Bulls went on to reach the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

, where they defeated the Utah Jazz in six games to win their sixth championship in eight years. The Hornets finished second in the NBA in home-game attendance for the season behind the Bulls. 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, and Geiger signed with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. For the season, the Hornets added side panels and additional pinstripes to their uniforms, which remained in use until 2002.

Offseason

NBA Draft

The Hornets had no draft picks in 1997.

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 23 , Atlanta
W 97–87
, Glen Rice (34) , Divac,

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

(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
,

, Curry (15) , Vlade Divac (19) ,

, 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

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

* Glen Rice, All-NBA Third Team

Transactions

* July 1, 1997 Released

Rafael Addison Rafael Addison (born July 22, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other leagues. He was listed at 6'7" and 215 lbs. Addison attended Syracuse University and ...

. 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 Malik Jabari Rose (born November 23, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. Rose played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003. High school ...

. Waived Ricky Pierce. * September 10, 1997 Signed

Tony Farmer Anthony Todd Farmer (born January 3, 1970) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6'9 forward born in Los Angeles, California and from the University of Nebraska, Farmer appeared in 304 games in t ...

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

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

. Player Transactions Citation:

References

Hornets on Database Basketball

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997-98 Charlotte Hornets Season Charlotte Hornets seasons

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