Hornets Announce Massive Coby White News Ahead of Pistons Game

Charlotte Hornets point guard Coby White will make his 2026-27 season debut tonight against the Detroit Pistons. 

White missed the first seven games of the season because of a calf injury. 

The Hornets acquired White from the Chicago Bulls in February. In 21 games with Charlotte, White played well. He averaged 15.6 points per game while shooting 46.1% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 83.9% from the foul line. 

Charlotte beat the Miami Heat in the first play-in game but lost to the Orlando Magic in the second one. As a result, the Hornets missed the playoffs again.

White finished the 2025-26 season averaging 17.4 points per game with the Bulls and Hornets. 

Chicago drafted White with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. White has career averages of 15.4 points per game in the regular season and 8.4 points per game in the playoffs.

Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports believes White will make his first NBA All-Star team this season. White was born and raised in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He played high school basketball at Greenfield School in Wilson, North Carolina, and played college basketball at UNC.

North Carolina is special to White, which is why he's happy the Bulls traded him to the Hornets last season. 

"I'm right where I'm supposed to be, I'm right where I belong," White said. 

The Hornets traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason, so White is Charles Lee's new starting point guard. Charlotte is 3-4 heading into tonight's game against Detroit. The Pistons, meanwhile, are 5-1. 

Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel are the new franchise players in Charlotte with Ball and Miles Bridges gone. Both youngsters have a lot of untapped potential. 

Miller is off to a strong start this season. He's averaging 24.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. 

Meanwhile, Knueppel hasn't played this season yet, as the Duke product is recovering from a hamstring injury.

With White, Miller, Knueppel and Naz Reid leading the way, the Hornets are looking to make the playoffs this season for the first time since 2016. Charlotte has the longest active playoff drought in the NBA. 

The Hornets are averaging 98.3 points per game this season. That's last in the NBA. White's return will give Charlotte a huge boost offensively. 

Without White, the Hornets are also last in the NBA in offensive rating and pace. Charlotte's coaching staff and players can't wait for White to play tonight against Detroit.