A surprise free-agent signing, Al Jefferson came with a large paycheck and high expectations. While Charlotte has not become a power in the East, Jeffersonone, on his part, has certainly done his part to make the team as competitive as possible. In his first season with Charlotte, he averaged a double-double and made Third Team All-NBA, finishing eighth in MVP voting.

Eddie Jones was already a certified star from his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he went to two All-Star Games; however, as a member of the Charlotte Hornets, Jones made his third All-Star appearance and posted his best scoring numbers and PER.  He also led the NBA in Steals per Game (2.7 in 1999-2000), and was third in Defensive Player of the Year voting that year; the highest finish of his career.

The fifth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Raymond Felton was the Point Guard for the North Carolina Tar Heel team that won the NCAA title just before his draft. Felton was not a champion in Charlotte, but Felton was a solid scorer and distributor in the pros.

Vlade Divac was one of the more popular players in the NBA, but for many in Charlotte, this is the guy who was traded for the rights to Kobe Bryant. History now shows that trade was a little lopsided (though, let’s be honest, do you really see Kobe playing his entire career in Charlotte?), but that Divac was a very good player who put up good numbers across the board, and it also shows every metric.