Regardless of whether the Charlotte Hornets make the playoffs, their 2025-26 season has been wildly successful. This statistic shows why.
The Charlotte Hornets were 9-20 on Dec. 22 and had fought back to have a 26-29 record by the 2026 NBA All-Star break. As of this writing, the Hornets are 36-34 and on pace to finish above .500 for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
The Hornets are hanging on to the No. 10 seed and final spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, but this season has already been a success. According to WCCB Charlotte, the Hornets' 17 total sellouts and seven straight sellouts set a franchise attendance record.
The outlet additionally reported the following:
"The Hornets are averaging 18,400 fans per game, a 7% increase compared to last season. The attendance increase is partially fueled by the team’s on-court performance, as the team has gone on multiple win streaks since January.
"Charlotte’s nine-game win streak in January and February was the team’s longest win streak since 1997-98 and was the second-longest in franchise history."
The Hornets have an exciting young core in 2020 No. 3 overall pick LaMelo Ball, 2023 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller, and 2025 No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel. Miller is the team's leading scorer (20.4 points per game), but Ball (19.5) and Knueppel (19.3) are right behind him.
Knueppel is a scorching 43.7% from three. Ball and Knueppel are third and fourth, respectively, in three-pointers made among all NBA players — behind only Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic. Knueppel is the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year.
Charlotte rounded out the roster by trading for former Chicago Bulls guard Coby White in early February. Since White's Feb. 24 Hornets debut, the team is 9-3.
The Hornets will host the Memphis Grizzlies (24-45) on Saturday and the Sacramento Kings (18-53) on Tuesday before welcoming Eastern Conference heavyhitters: the New York Knicks (46-25) on March 26, the Philadelphia 76ers (38-32) on March 28, and the Boston Celtics (47-23) on March 29.
The Hornets have not made the NBA playoffs since the 2015-16 season.