As if there wasn’t already a stark difference between the two franchises that entered the NBA in 1988, the scene at the Kaseya Center on Sunday night further underscored just how far the Charlotte Hornets have to go to catch up.
Dwyane Wade, the three-time NBA champion who starred for the Miami Heat, was recognized in an elaborate ceremony celebrating his entry into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Team president Pat Riley even surprised Wade when he told him the organization plans to put an eight-foot statue of him outside the arena, bringing Wade tears.