Category: Charlotte Hornets Blog

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed forward Sam Thompson and center Jason Washburn to its training camp roster.

As a senior at Ohio State last season, Thompson, a 6-7 forward, averaged career highs of 10.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Over his four-year career at Ohio State, he appeared in 146 games (83 starts), averaging 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.9 minutes per game. Thompson went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Washburn, a 7-0 center, has spent the last two seasons playing professionally in the Ukraine, Belarus and Belgium. During the 2014-15 season, he played 27 games (six starts) for Basic-Fit of the Belgium-Scooore League and posted averages of 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 18.7 minutes per game. As a four-year player at the University of Utah, he appeared in 123 games (70 starts) and averaged 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 22.4 minutes per game. Washburn went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft.

The training camp roster now stands at 18.

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to a contract extension. According to multiple reports, the extension is a four-year, $52 million deal.

“Michael is a huge part of what we are trying to build here in Charlotte,” Cho said. “He has dedicated himself to improving and expanding his game. Michael continues to develop on both ends of the court and has become a key piece of our team. We are thrilled that he is a Charlotte Hornet.”

The fourth-year small forward has played the first three seasons of his career in Charlotte after being selected with the second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. In 2014-15, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged a career-best 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in 28.9 minutes over the course of 55 games played (52 starts). His 7.6 rebounds per game ranked first among all small forwards in the NBA. Last season, he registered career highs of 12 double-doubles and 35 double-figure scoring games after totaling one and 14, respectively, the previous season. The University of Kentucky product holds career averages of 9.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game in 195 career appearances (192 starts) in three seasons in the NBA.

During the 2014-15 campaign, Kidd-Gilchrist posted a net differential of +10.8 points per 100 possessions, the largest differential of any Hornets player (Charlotte was +3.1 with him on the court as opposed to -7.7 with him off the court). His contributions are not limited to the defensive side of the ball, as the Hornets scored 2.7 more points per game with him in the lineup and Kidd-Gilchrist improved his field goal percentage from eight feet from the basket and further by 11.5 percentage points as compared to his first two seasons (.280 from 2012-14 compared to .395 in 2014-15). In the last two seasons under Head Coach Steve Clifford, Kidd-Gilchrist has been an essential component to Charlotte’s success. The team has posted a 62-55 record (.530) with him in the lineup as opposed to a 14-33 record (.298) when he has been unable to play. As a rookie, he was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in November 2012 and was named to the 2013 NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

“I want to thank Hornets ownership, Rich, Chad, Coach Clifford and the entire organization,” said Kidd-Gilchrist. “I’m excited to continue my career in Charlotte and be a part of the Hornets organization moving forward. I can’t wait to get out on the court with my teammates for this upcoming season.”

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced Wednesday that the team has signed free agent forward Tyler Hansbrough.

“Tyler Hansbrough is a solid NBA player who can contribute to our team,” Cho said. “He brings energy and physicality every time he steps on the floor. We are glad to have him.”

Hansbrough is — and we mean this in a good way — an irritant to the other team. Nicknamed “Psycho T,” the rugged power forward always goes the extra mile in the hustle department and is worthy of being in a pretty good team’s rotation as a backup.

A six-year NBA veteran, the 6-9 Hansbrough was initially selected with the 13th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. He has played in 384 NBA games for the Pacers and Raptors, with career averages of 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.9 minutes. He has shot .439 from the field (915-2085) and .746 from the free-throw line (946-1268). Hansbrough has also seen action in 42 playoff games, averaging 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.4 minutes.

Hansbrough spent the 2014-15 season with the Raptors, where he played in 74 games and averaged 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.3 minutes, while shooting a career-high .521 from the field (86-165).

Prior to entering the NBA, Hansbrough played four years at the University of North Carolina, where he averaged 20.2 points and 8.6 rebounds in 142 career games and shot .536 from the field (939-1752) and .791 from the free-throw line (982-1241). As a junior in 2007-08, his accolades included Consensus National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Athlete of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP and a record eight ACC Player of the Week awards. One of only two players in NCAA history to earn First Team All-American honors in each of his four seasons, Hansbrough was selected First Team All-ACC all four years and to the ACC All-Tournament Team three times. He led the Tar Heels in scoring and rebounding in each of his four seasons, helping the team to the 2009 NCAA Championship.

Hansbrough, who had his No. 50 jersey retired, remains UNC’s career leader in scoring (2872), rebounding (1219) double-figure scoring games (133), 20-point games (78), field goals (939), field goal attempts (1752), free throws (982) and free throw attempts (1241). He is also the ACC’s all-time leader in scoring, double-figure scoring games, 20-point games, free throws and free throw attempts.

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced yesterday that the team has signed free agent guard Aaron Harrison.

“Aaron Harrison played very well for us in Summer League,” Cho said. “He is a talented young player with a lot of potential and we look forward to seeing what he can do moving forward.”

Harrison played the last two seasons at the University of Kentucky. He saw action in 79 games, helping the Wildcats to back-to-back Final Fours, with averages of 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.2 minutes. In 2014-15, he was named Second Team All-SEC after averaging a team-high 11.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 25.8 minutes as Kentucky became the first team in NCAA history to start a season 38-0 before falling to Wisconsin in the national semifinals. Harrison, who was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team in each of his two seasons, also earned NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team honors in 2013-14, when he hit three consecutive game-winning three-point field goals in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four.

Harrison, who was not selected in the 2015 NBA Draft, played in all five games for the Hornets at the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League in Orlando. He scored in double figures in all five contests, averaging 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and team highs of 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 29.0 minutes. He led the Hornets with 14 made free throws and ranked second on the team with 24 total field goals.

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Jeremy Lin.

“We are excited to add Jeremy Lin to our lineup,” Cho said. “He is a talented player who we feel can make significant contributions to our basketball team.”

With Kemba Walker already established as the Hornets’ starting point guard, it is assumed Jeremy Lin will come off the bench as a backup.

A five-year NBA veteran, the 6-3 Lin has played in 291 NBA games for the Warriors, Knicks, Rockets and Lakers, with career averages of 11.7 points, 4.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 26.9 minutes. For his career, Lin has shot .437 from the field (1167-2668), .349 from beyond the three-point line (259-742) and .799 from the free-throw line (812-1016). He has also played in 10 playoff games, all with Houston, averaging 8.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 16.1 minutes. Lin was not selected in the 2010 NBA Draft following four seasons at Harvard.

Lin spent the 2014-15 season with the Lakers, where he saw action in 70 games and averaged 11.2 points, 4.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 25.8 minutes. He shot a career-high .369 from beyond the three-point line (65-176), to go with .424 from the field (277-654) and .795 from the free-throw line (213-268).

The first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, Lin was named by Chinese magazine Vivid as one of its eight most influential Chinese-Americans in July 2011 and by Time Magazine as one of its “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World” in April 2012. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in two consecutive weeks in February 2012, becoming just the third NBA player to do so in the magazine’s history, and also appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in the second week. He also received the ESPY Award for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year in July 2012.

In addition to his NBA experience, Lin also played in 20 games in the NBA D-League with the Reno Bighorns in 2010-11 and one game with the Erie BayHawks in 2011-12. In 21 total D-League games, he averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals in 32.4 minutes, while shooting .480 from the field (135-281), .359 from beyond the three-point line (14-39) and .732 from the free-throw line (104-142).

Here’s the Charlotte Obsever reporting now on an incident back in June:

For a third consecutive summer, Hornets guard P.J. Hairston is facing legal trouble.

Hairston was cited around noon on June 18 for driving with a revoked license, speeding, driving left of center and driving on expired tags.

According to the citation, Hairston’s 2015 black Cadillac Escalade was traveling at 51 mph in a 35 mph zone on Toddville Road heading toward Freedom Drive. The tags were expired and his vehicle went more than half its width over the double yellow line for 25-30 yards, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer N.S. Bush in his report.