It’s all about the playoffs right now, I know, but as the Hornets prepare for game 6 at The Hive, I thought I’d share something a bit different. I’m an 18 year old Australian. In non USA countries, people have a whole range of reasons for their various team alliances, as we obviously don’t have hometown connections with NBA teams. Not surprisingly, an overwhelming amount of people are on the Boston/LA/Miami bandwagons, and many switch teams more frequently than Joe Smith.
For some time I never had an NBA team to support. I wanted one, but didn’t feel any alliance to any particular team. That all changed one day in the Aussie summer of ‘08. I searched for live NBA games online on umm..lets say league pass..and decided to watch the Nuggets@Hornets game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqzDWfxxC5U). At the time I was just under 15 years of age and barely knew any of the Hornets players. I knew a little bit about Chris Paul and I’d heard a a few things about some David West guy but still didn’t even really know who he was. At that stage I was probably more of a Denver fan if I had to choose one team.
Before the game started, I didn’t care who won, I just wanted to see some good NBA basketball. At some stage in the game the Hornets just turned it on. CP3 was going gangbusters on Denver, crossing, driving, dishing, slashing, dashing and scoring. He was on fire and no ankle was safe.
He and Chandler teamed up for several of their famous jaw dropping oops that game. Multiple alley oops in one game was just mind blowing to me. In the Australian league we see about 3 or 4 alley oops a season, and thats across the whole league. Tyson also just a beast in general.
Peja was deadly in firing away from the land of plenty and Jannero Pargo was a ball of energy and instant offence machine. And who could forget West, I became an instant fan of his game, especially his toughness combined yet soft touch and his near unstoppable pick and pop game with Chris Paul.
I was fairly unaware of the NBA standings in general at that stage as well as the Hornets history, so I was completely unaware until a few days later that I’d found myself in the middle of what was such a great season.
With CP3 bringing the ball up the floor, Pargo (Mo Pete didn’t play much this game) and Peja on the wings and West and Chandler inside, it was an awesome team. They played an immensely exiting and entertaining run and gun style game that day and I just fell in love with the them. They comfortably got the win and the Nuggets didn’t stand a chance once the Hornets got going.
Ever since I’ve proudly worn my Hornets gear amongst a sea of LA and Miami.
I started that game a neutral basketball fan, I finished it a Hornets fan for life.
7 responses to “The Game That Made Me a Hornets Fan”
As a 20 yr old Aussie following the team since it’s Charlotte days, thankyou for not being a lakers, bulls or heat (formerly cavs) douche
Great to knows there more of us out here. Nothing worse than those people, especially heat (formerly cavs) people. Also, the “Rondo is best PG” phase/craze which infected most people was pretty damn painful too.
Im 27yrs old and an Aussie citizen these days, I have been a fan since 1991. I remember when I came to Brisbane, Australia as an 8yr from canada, people who followed the NBA were either Bulls, Celtics or Lakers fans. I think it was around 1994 when Basketball was a popular sport in australia with a stong national comp. It was the same time Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning and Muggsy Bogues were playing for the Charlotte Hornets, All of a sudden Hornets Jerseys turned up all over the place they were as popular as the Chicago Bulls. To this day I still live in Brisbane and still see people wearing New Orleans Hornets gear, there are alot of Hornets fans in Australia. The difference between the Franchise from then until now is we have a player (Chris Paul) who can lead us to the promise land. Dell Demps and whoever the New owner is, have to do everything they can to give Chris Paul the best chance to do so.
Heres my favourite Hornets moment from when I was a young fella.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBQv4BFbSN8
Thoroughly enjoyed reading your post, BHA. Will be annoying when the Hornets eventually become elite and the bandwagoners jump on board but, hey, who cares, us real fans will be too busy cheering them on. Great video too.
Same here in Croatia, I feel you, NOLA fan since 2005, same happened to me, saw one of the Hornets games when I was younger and just fell in love with this team, they are like a girl, you just fall in love…
We gonna be real good next year, great season 10 11, 11 12 here we come to get you!!!!!!!!!
Good on you mate. And as a 19 year old Aussie who has also followed the team since Charlotte I completely agree with Oc.
I can’t even fully remember why I chose the Hornets, it must have been around 1996 so I would have been only 5 years old. Maybe it was Buggsy? or that they were one of the better teams in the awesome game that was Total NBA 96 when playing against my mates who always went as the Bulls? Maybe just at random? Not really sure. Used to love Glen Rice though, and clearly remember being at Disneyland when I was 8 and wearing his top all the time which friends in NC bought for me (I still have it too! though sadly it’s a tad small these days). Kinda lost interest from the late 90’s until Dec 2005 when I stumbled onto the NBA site and rekindled my obsession with the Hornets as some kid named Chris Paul started tearing up the league.
And 2007-08 was an amazing season, probably my best memory of the Hornets was spending my lunchtime cooped up in the library at school (I know, how sociable…) listening to the radio telecast of Game 7 vs the Spurs and the despair as we were floundering and possibly about to capitulate, which slowly turned into hope as we made that frenetic comeback as Pargo single handedly dragged us back into it and almost stole it. CP should have been MVP that season.
Oh and yeah the NBL is shit. I didn’t even know game 3 (our finals are 3 game series btw) was on the other night until I passed the TV at the gym :S. Time to euthanise it I reckon.
Great stuff, MD43. Really really enjoying reading fellow Aussie’s take on how they got on the Hornets, didnt realise would get a reply from any Aussies, let alone 3 so this is great! The NBL is indeed fairly crappy atm, a far cry from where it was in the 80s, 90s and even early 2000s. I hope it can atleast work its way back atleast a little bit toward where it used to be eventually.