Charlotte Basketball’s Definitive Jersey Rankings - Nos. 4 & 3

Nos. 4 & 3. 1988-1997 Home and Away O.G.

The NBA is coming back! I can’t tell you how excited I am to watch basketball again. I’ve rewatched The Last Dance already, does that portray where I;m at basketball content wise? But I digress, because I’m excited to get into the top 3 of our Jersey countdown.

The jerseys that get us to the top 3 are the ones that started it all. The home jerseys were white with multicolored stripes and solid shorts. The away jerseys were teal with the same stripes and solid teal shorts. These were the original colors of the Hornets and by that fact alone should secure the respect of a top 3 ranking. But they are more than their legacy.

The teal and white became a symbol for professional basketball in North Carolina. They were worn by celebrities nationwide. Though not as popular as their purple cousins, these jerseys are donned by the best players of Charlotte Hornets history. They had staying power. They were worn with only slight changes for nine years. The only change coming in 1990 when the center hip logo was changed to the cartoon hornet from a more high school H logo which looks cool to me.

There are brighter Hornets jerseys. There are more popular Hornets jerseys. But none other than these have the distinction of being the first Hornets jerseys. All others are variations on this theme. These jerseys stand as a symbol of basketball roots, not only in Charlotte, but in the state as a whole.