The NBA’s Biggest Sleeping-Giant Fan Base Is Running Out of Patience with Sports Illustrated’s Owen Watterson

Sports Illustrated’s Owen Watterson, Hornets columnist and creator of Hornets History, joins Hoopsology to explain why Charlotte’s rough start hurts so much, and why he still believes the franchise’s future is the brightest of his lifetime. At the time of recording, the Hornets were 3-5 and on a four-game losing streak.

They had the league’s lowest-scoring offense, a turnover problem and key injuries to Coby White and Kon Knueppel. Owen walks through what’s gone wrong: Brandon Miller shooting under 30% from three on huge volume, Dennis Schröder logging heavy minutes after a summer with Team Germany, and a brutal upcoming 10-game stretch.

He explains why going 5-5 over that stretch would be a win. The conversation then turns to the LaMelo Ball trade to Minnesota.

Owen defends LaMelo as a goofball with a childlike love of the game, not an unserious one. He says LaMelo loved Charlotte, never asked out and may have become the best player in franchise history.

He also explains why the fan base is still raw about trading its biggest star in two decades. He asks whether Knueppel can be a true centerpiece, pointing to the fact that more than 92% of his made threes last year were assisted.

He also looks at what the post-LaMelo era demands from Miller and Naz Reid. Owen also tells the history behind the heartbreak.

There’s been no playoff series win since 2002 and a decade without a real postseason run. But the Charlotte Coliseum once packed fans in for almost ten years straight, and some season-ticket holders have been there since 1988.

He credits new ownership for finally fixing decades of underinvestment, including a new state-of-the-art practice facility. He believes the city is the league’s biggest sleeping-giant fan base and that fans won’t stay quiet once the team is good.

The episode closes with trade-deadline names to watch, including Domantas Sabonis, Tidjane Salaün, Royce O’Neale and a red-hot Grayson Allen, plus Owen’s own story: his daily Hornets History posts, his YouTube show five times a week, and his exclusive Dell Curry quotes on the 30th anniversary of Curry’s career-high night. 🏀 Subscribe to Hoopsology Podcast for in-depth NBA and WNBA conversations, insider interviews, and breaking news breakdowns you won’t find anywhere else. 👉 Follow Owen Watterson: X @0wenwatterson, @HornetsHistory, the Charlotte Hornets On SI YouTube show, and his author page at . 👉 Drop a comment: Should the Hornets chase a win-now move at the deadline? #CharlotteHornets #OwenWatterson #HornetsHistory #NBA #Hoopsology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit