The 2001âÂÂ02 Charlotte Hornets season was the 14th, and final season for the original Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Hornets acquired George Lynch and Robert Traylor from the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team trade, and signed free agents Stacey Augmon, Bryce Drew and three-point specialist Matt Bullard.
The Hornets struggled playing around .500 in winning percentage in the first half of the regular season, holding a 23âÂÂ25 record at the All-Star break. Jamal Mashburn only played just 40 games due to a lower abdominal strain, and was replaced with second-year forward Lee Nailon as the team's starting small forward. Despite losing Mashburn, the Hornets posted a seven-game winning streak in March, and finished in second place in the Central Division with a 44âÂÂ38 record, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, and qualifying for their seventh NBA playoff appearance.
Mashburn averaged 21.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, while Baron Davis continued to show improvement, averaging 18.1 points, 8.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and leading the Hornets with 170 three-point field goals, and David Wesley provided the team with 14.2 points and 3.5 assists per game. In addition, Elden Campbell contributed 13.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, while Nailon provided with 10.8 points per game, and P.J. Brown averaged 8.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Off the bench, second-year center Jamaal Magloire averaged 8.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while Augmon contributed 4.6 points per game, and Lynch provided with 3.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Davis was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was his first ever All-Star appearance. Meanwhile, Nailon was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Sophomores team.
In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, the Hornets faced off against the 5thâÂÂseeded Orlando Magic, who were led by All-Star guard Tracy McGrady, second-year star Mike Miller, and Darrell Armstrong. Despite both teams finishing with the same regular-season record, the Hornets had home-court advantage in the series. The Hornets won Game 1 over the Magic at home, 80âÂÂ79 at the Charlotte Coliseum, despite losing Mashburn to injury for the remainder of the playoffs, but then lost Game 2 at home in overtime, 111âÂÂ103 as the Magic evened the series. The Hornets managed to win the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 win over the Magic at the TD Waterhouse Centre, 102âÂÂ85 to win the series in four games.
In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the topâÂÂseeded, and Atlantic Division champion New Jersey Nets, who were led by the trio of All-Star guard Jason Kidd, second-year star Kenyon Martin, and Keith Van Horn. The Nets took a 2âÂÂ0 series lead, but the Hornets managed to win Game 3 at the Charlotte Coliseum, 115âÂÂ97. However, the Hornets lost the next two games, including a Game 5 road loss to the Nets at the Continental Airlines Arena, 103âÂÂ95, thus losing the series in five games. The Nets would advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, but would lose to the 2-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game sweep in the 2002 NBA Finals. Following the season, Nailon and Bullard were both released to free agency.
This was also the Hornets' final season in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the team relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana, and became the New Orleans Hornets the following season; other city candidates for the team's relocation included Louisville, Kentucky, Norfolk, Virginia, St. Louis, Missouri and Anaheim, California. In addition, it was also their final season in which the team played their home games at the Charlotte Coliseum. The Hornets' home-game attendance continued to decrease as the team finished last in the NBA, with an attendance of 462,738 at the Charlotte Coliseum during the regular season, which was 29th in the league; the team also posted a better 23âÂÂ18 road record than their 21âÂÂ20 record at home. The Hornets' low attendance was a stark contrast to their earlier years in Charlotte, in which they led the league in home-game attendance eight times in the franchise's first nine seasons in the NBA (their 1988âÂÂ89 inaugural season, and the 1990âÂÂ91 to 1996âÂÂ97 seasons).
The city of Charlotte would return to the NBA two seasons later with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, who began play in the 2004âÂÂ05 season; that franchise changed its name to the "Hornets" in 2014 after the original franchise renamed itself the "Pelicans", and also reclaimed the original Hornets' history from 1988 to 2002. As a result, the Hornets are now reckoned as having suspended operations after this season before returning as the Bobcats in 2004, while the relocated franchise is retroactively deemed as a 2002 expansion team.
As of 2026, this was the last season in which the Charlotte Hornets have won an NBA playoff series.
|- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" | 1 | April 20 | Orlando | W 80âÂÂ79 | Baron Davis (28) | P. J. Brown (15) | Baron Davis (7) | Charlotte Coliseum<br>9,505 | 1âÂÂ0 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" | 2 | April 23 | Orlando | L 103âÂÂ111 (OT) | Elden Campbell (27) | Elden Campbell (13) | Baron Davis (10) | Charlotte Coliseum<br>10,323 | 1âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" | 3 | April 27 | @ Orlando | W 110âÂÂ100 (OT) | Baron Davis (33) | Baron Davis (14) | Baron Davis (10) | TD Waterhouse Centre<br>16,754 | 2âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" | 4 | April 30 | @ Orlando | W 102âÂÂ85 | Baron Davis (28) | Baron Davis (11) | Baron Davis (10) | TD Waterhouse Centre<br>16,254 | 3âÂÂ1
|- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" | 1 | May 5 | @ New Jersey | L 93âÂÂ99 | Baron Davis (23) | P. J. Brown (9) | David Wesley (7) | Continental Airlines Arena<br>19,071 | 0âÂÂ1 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" | 2 | May 7 | @ New Jersey | L 88âÂÂ102 | Baron Davis (21) | George Lynch (11) | Baron Davis (7) | Continental Airlines Arena<br>20,049 | 0âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="ccffcc" | 3 | May 9 | New Jersey | W 115âÂÂ97 | Baron Davis (26) | George Lynch (12) | Baron Davis (8) | Charlotte Coliseum<br>11,363 | 1âÂÂ2 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" | 4 | May 12 | New Jersey | L 79âÂÂ89 | Baron Davis (20) | P. J. Brown (16) | Baron Davis (6) | Charlotte Coliseum<br>13,864 | 1âÂÂ3 |- align="center" bgcolor="ffcccc" | 5 | May 15 | @ New Jersey | L 95âÂÂ103 | Magloire, Nailon (14) | George Lynch (13) | Baron Davis (8) | Continental Airlines Arena<br>20,049 | 1âÂÂ4 |-
Traded a 2001 2nd round draft pick (Sean Lampley was later selected) to the Chicago Bulls for Roberto Dueñas.
Signed Bryce Drew as a free agent.
Signed Stacey Augmon as a free agent.
Signed Matt Bullard as a free agent.
As part of a 3-team trade, the Charlotte Hornets traded Derrick Coleman to the Philadelphia 76ers; the Charlotte Hornets traded cash to the Golden State Warriors; the Golden State Warriors traded Chris Porter to the Charlotte Hornets; the Golden State Warriors traded Corie Blount and Vonteego Cummings to the Philadelphia 76ers; the Philadelphia 76ers traded George Lynch, Jérôme Moïso and Robert Traylor to the Charlotte Hornets; and the Philadelphia 76ers traded Cedric Henderson and a 2005 1st round draft pick (Joey Graham was later selected) to the Golden State Warriors.
Waived Chris Porter.
Waived Tim James.
Waived Eldridge Recasner.
Player Transactions Citation: