Michael Jordan made headlines when he announced that he will be selling his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets. During his tenure as owner of the team for 13 years, the Hornets only had a winning record three times. Despite handing over the keys to the franchise, fans are lashing out at the six-time NBA champion over the draft night disaster.
Michael Jordan sold his share to the minority owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin for a reported $3 billion and he’ll be getting an estimated $2.82 billion from it. So, why aren?t fans happy, given that the team will be getting a much-needed fresh start?
Hornets with a fresh start
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The Charlotte Hornets were awarded the second overall pick in this year?s NBA draft. While everyone had their eyes on the French sensation, Victor Wembanyama, he predictably ended up going first overall to the San Antonio Spurs.
Yet, the draft had plenty of talent to choose from. And the Hornets decided to draft Brandon Miller with the 2nd pick. The Hornets fans sitting in the arena and the ones watching the draft from other establishments were heartbroken.
Hornets fans’ reaction to the team drafting Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson 😬
(via @CrownClubCLT)
pic.twitter.com/T0uuUEdQvw— Guru (@DrGuru_) June 23, 2023
After Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson of the G-League Ignite was the second highly touted player in this year?s draft. Henderson is a 6?2 point guard who has displayed flashes of stardom since his time in the G-League.
The Hornets’ front office decided to draft Miller instead. Miller is a 6?9 small forward out of Alabama, who averaged 18.8 PPG last year with his college team. Given that the Hornets already have a point guard in LaMelo Ball, it is understandable why Charlotte went with a small forward instead. However, that wasn’t enough to please the fans.
Fans still blaming Michael Jordan
While the Charlotte Hornets may have made the right decision in not drafting another point guard, fans, on the other hand, do not think so. Many of them have been blaming Michael Jordan for it as well.
One fan tweeted, ?Devastating.?
Devastating https://t.co/ZYK998SEiW
— Major_Healy (@Major_Healy) June 23, 2023
While another fan commented, ?Nah the mascot being let down is insane.?
nah the mascot being let down is insane https://t.co/mnyufj8BfC
— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) June 23, 2023
Here are a few more reactions from fans on Twitter.
Sad day for our city
— KD (@KD48377931) June 23, 2023
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) June 23, 2023
MJ Fumbled But I Like That Kid Confidence
— 3️⃣0️⃣Redemption Szn ⚡️ (@Hella_Benjis) June 23, 2023
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Brandon Miller will not have a better Career than Scoot or a better first season
— GuruTwoey (@GuruTwoey) June 23, 2023
Rarely was anyone happy with the front office choosing Miller over Henderson. In fact, some even went as far as to claim that Miller will not have a better career than Scoot Henderson.
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Watch This Story – How much does Michael Jordan own from Hornets ownership?
Now, only time will tell if drafting Brandon Miller was the right decision or not. But the fresh start that the Hornets got has not been off to a great start.