# 1995–96 Charlotte Hornets season

The 1995–96 NBA season was the 8th season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Hornets re-acquired former guard Kendall Gill from the Seattle SuperSonics. On the first day of the regular season, which began on November 3, 1995, the Hornets acquired Glen Rice, Matt Geiger and second-year guard Khalid Reeves from the Miami Heat. The Hornets got off to a slow start losing eight of their first eleven games, but played around .500 as the season progressed. In January, they traded Gill and Reeves to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Kenny Anderson, who became the team's starting point guard, while Muggsy Bogues sat out with a knee injury that only limited him to just six games. Scott Burrell was also out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury after only playing just 20 games.
The Hornets continued to play around .500, holding a 22–24 record at the All-Star break, and finishing in sixth place in the Central Division with a 41–41 record, missing the Playoffs by finishing just one game behind the 8th-seeded Miami Heat. The Hornets, along with the Indiana Pacers, were the only two teams in the league to defeat the Chicago Bulls on the road during their historic 72–10 season, as the Hornets defeated the Bulls, 98–97 at the United Center on April 8, 1996.
Rice led the team in scoring averaging 21.6 points per game, led them with 171 three-point field goals, and was selected for the 1996 NBA All-Star Game in San Antonio, Texas. In addition, Larry Johnson averaged 20.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, while sixth man Dell Curry provided the team with 14.5 points per game, and finished second on the team with 164 three-point field goals, Burrell contributed 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and Geiger provided with 11.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Curry finished tied in seventh place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Geiger finished tied in fourteenth place in Most Improved Player voting.
The Hornets led the NBA in home-game attendance for the seventh time in their eight-year history, with an attendance of 985,722 at the Charlotte Coliseum during the regular season. Following the season, Johnson was traded to the New York Knicks, while Anderson signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers, Robert Parish signed with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Adams retired, and head coach Allan Bristow resigned after five seasons with the franchise.

## NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 1 | 22 | George Zidek | C | Czech Republic | UCLA |

## Regular season
### Season standings

| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
| z–Chicago Bulls | 72 | 10 | .878 | – | 39‍–‍2 | 33‍–‍8 | 24–4 | 82 |
| x–Indiana Pacers | 52 | 30 | .634 | 20.0 | 32‍–‍9 | 20‍–‍21 | 19–9 | 82 |
| x–Cleveland Cavaliers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 25.0 | 26‍–‍15 | 21‍–‍20 | 13–15 | 82 |
| x–Atlanta Hawks | 46 | 36 | .561 | 26.0 | 26‍–‍15 | 20‍–‍21 | 15–13 | 82 |
| x–Detroit Pistons | 46 | 36 | .561 | 26.0 | 30‍–‍11 | 16‍–‍25 | 15–13 | 82 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 31.0 | 25‍–‍16 | 16‍–‍25 | 13–15 | 82 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 25 | 57 | .305 | 47.0 | 14‍–‍27 | 11‍–‍30 | 8–20 | 82 |
| Toronto Raptors | 21 | 61 | .256 | 51.0 | 15‍–‍26 | 6‍–‍35 | 5–23 | 82 |
Eastern Conference :
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z–Chicago Bulls | 72 | 10 | .878 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y–Orlando Magic | 60 | 22 | .732 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x–Indiana Pacers | 52 | 30 | .634 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x–Cleveland Cavaliers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 25.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x–New York Knicks | 47 | 35 | .573 | 25.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x–Atlanta Hawks | 46 | 36 | .561 | 26.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x–Detroit Pistons | 46 | 36 | .561 | 26.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x–Miami Heat | 42 | 40 | .512 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Washington Bullets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 33.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Boston Celtics | 33 | 49 | .402 | 39.0 | 82 |
| 12 | New Jersey Nets | 30 | 52 | .366 | 42.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Milwaukee Bucks | 25 | 57 | .305 | 47.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Toronto Raptors | 21 | 61 | .256 | 51.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Philadelphia 76ers | 18 | 64 | .220 | 54.0 | 82 |

### Record vs. opponents

1995-96 NBA Records :
| Team | ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MIA | MIL | MIN | NJN | NYK | ORL | PHI | PHO | POR | SAC | SAS | SEA | TOR | UTA | VAN | WAS |
| Atlanta | — | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Boston | 0–4 | — | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Charlotte | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Chicago | 4–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | — | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Cleveland | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Dallas | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| Denver | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Detroit | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Golden State | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Houston | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Indiana | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| L.A. Clippers | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | — | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| L.A. Lakers | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 4–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Miami | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 3–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Milwaukee | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | — | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Minnesota | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 |
| New Jersey | 0–4 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 3–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| New York | 1–2 | 4–0 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | — | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| Orlando | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | — | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Philadelphia | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | — | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Phoenix | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Portland | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | — | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 |
| Sacramento | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–2 |
| San Antonio | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Seattle | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Toronto | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| Utah | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Vancouver | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–4 | — | 0–2 |
| Washington | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — |

### Game log
## Player statistics
### Ragular season

| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Dell Curry | SG | 82 | 29 | 2,371 | 264 | 176 | 108 | 25 | 1,192 | 28.9 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .3 | 14.5 |
| Larry Johnson | PF | 81 | 81 | 3,274 | 683 | 355 | 55 | 43 | 1,660 | 40.4 | 8.4 | 4.4 | .7 | .5 | 20.5 |
| Glen Rice | SF | 79 | 79 | 3,142 | 378 | 232 | 91 | 19 | 1,710 | 39.8 | 4.8 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .2 | 21.6 |
| Matt Geiger | C | 77 | 50 | 2,349 | 649 | 60 | 46 | 63 | 866 | 30.5 | 8.4 | .8 | .6 | .8 | 11.2 |
| Robert Parish | C | 74 | 34 | 1,086 | 303 | 29 | 21 | 54 | 290 | 14.7 | 4.1 | .4 | .3 | .7 | 3.9 |
| George Zidek | C | 71 | 21 | 888 | 183 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 281 | 12.5 | 2.6 | .2 | .1 | .1 | 4.0 |
| Darrin Hancock | SF | 63 | 7 | 838 | 98 | 47 | 28 | 5 | 272 | 13.3 | 1.6 | .7 | .4 | .1 | 4.3 |
| Rafael Addison | SF | 53 | 0 | 516 | 90 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 171 | 9.7 | 1.7 | .6 | .2 | .2 | 3.2 |
| Anthony Goldwire | PG | 42 | 8 | 621 | 43 | 112 | 16 | 0 | 231 | 14.8 | 1.0 | 2.7 | .4 | .0 | 5.5 |
| Kenny Anderson$^†$ | PG | 38 | 36 | 1,302 | 102 | 328 | 59 | 6 | 577 | 34.3 | 2.7 | 8.6 | 1.6 | .2 | 15.2 |
| Kendall Gill$^†$ | SG | 36 | 36 | 1,265 | 189 | 225 | 42 | 22 | 464 | 35.1 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 1.2 | .6 | 12.9 |
| Pete Myers$^†$ | SG | 32 | 1 | 453 | 67 | 48 | 20 | 6 | 92 | 14.2 | 2.1 | 1.5 | .6 | .2 | 2.9 |
| Michael Adams | PG | 21 | 3 | 329 | 22 | 67 | 21 | 4 | 114 | 15.7 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 1.0 | .2 | 5.4 |
| Scott Burrell | SF | 20 | 20 | 693 | 98 | 47 | 27 | 13 | 263 | 34.7 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .7 | 13.2 |
| Khalid Reeves$^†$ | PG | 20 | 5 | 418 | 40 | 72 | 16 | 1 | 162 | 20.9 | 2.0 | 3.6 | .8 | .1 | 8.1 |
| Greg Sutton$^†$ | PG | 18 | 0 | 190 | 15 | 39 | 8 | 0 | 62 | 10.6 | .8 | 2.2 | .4 | .0 | 3.4 |
| Muggsy Bogues | PG | 6 | 0 | 77 | 7 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 12.8 | 1.2 | 3.2 | .3 | .0 | 2.3 |
| Corey Beck | PG | 5 | 0 | 33 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .2 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Gerald Glass$^†$ | SF | 5 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3.0 | .4 | .0 | .2 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Donald Hodge$^†$ | C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Joe Wolf$^†$ | PF | 1 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 | 2.0 | .0 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 |
* $^†$ Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Hornets only.

## Transactions

* June 24, 1995
Lost Kenny Gattison to the Vancouver Grizzlies in the NBA expansion draft.
* June 27, 1995
Traded Hersey Hawkins and David Wingate to the Seattle SuperSonics for Kendall Gill.
* September 27, 1995
Signed Rafael Addison as an unrestricted free agent.
* October 3, 1995
Signed Pete Myers as an unrestricted free agent.
* October 4, 1995
Signed Corey Beck as a free agent.
Signed Negele Knight as an unrestricted free agent.
* October 24, 1995
Waived Negele Knight.
* November 2, 1995
Waived Corey Beck.
* November 3, 1995
Traded LeRon Ellis, Alonzo Mourning and Pete Myers to the Miami Heat for Matt Geiger, Khalid Reeves, Glen Rice and a 1996 1st round draft pick (Tony Delk was later selected).
* November 6, 1995
Waived Joe Wolf.
* December 23, 1995
Signed Corey Beck to a contract for the rest of the season.
* January 3, 1996
Waived Greg Sutton.
* January 5, 1996
Waived Corey Beck.
* January 19, 1996
Traded Kendall Gill and Khalid Reeves to the New Jersey Nets for Kenny Anderson and Gerald Glass.
* January 22, 1996
Signed Anthony Goldwire to a 10-day contract.
* January 31, 1996
Signed Anthony Goldwire to a contract for the rest of the season.
* February 16, 1996
Signed Pete Myers as a free agent.
* February 22, 1996
Waived Gerald Glass.
* February 23, 1996
Signed Donald Hodge to a 10-day contract.
* March 4, 1996
Released Donald Hodge.
Player Transactions Citation: