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Back in March, N.C. State basketball star DJ Burns Jr. won over the hearts of America with his relentless play in the NCAA tournament and engaging personality off the court. Now, it appears he may have won over his local NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets.
The 2024 NBA draft begins on Wednesday, June 26, at 8 PM. The first round will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where the Nets play.
The Atlanta Hawks shockingly scored the first pick via the NBA’s interesting lottery system. Sitting five spots behind them are the Charlotte Hornets. Last season, the Hornets finished with a rough 21-61 overall record. This was the bottom of the Eastern Conference, finishing only above the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons. Both the Wizards and Pistons pick ahead of the Hornets at two and five, respectively.
Nonetheless, the local buzz is that #30 on the Wolfpack has gotten the attention of the Charlotte front office. “NC State Big man DJ Burns Jr. has recently completed a pre-draft workout with the Hornets,” Swarm and Sting relayed. Burns also posted a photo of his Hornets practice jersey on an Instagram story recently.
Would DJ Burns Jr. Be A Good Fit For This Charlotte Squad?
Although Burns Jr. is not the most versatile player in the draft, it would be hard to argue that he would not be well-received by the local market. Burns Jr. is from Rock Hill, South Carolina, where he went to York Prep Academy. He stayed local and went to Winthrop University before making his way to Raleigh to play for the NC State Wolfpack in 2022.
March Madness was where Burns Jr. launched himself into the national spotlight with his consistent hustle and fantastic play in the tournament. His 29 points vs. in-state rival Duke helped lead the team to a thrilling upset victory.
Now, Burns Jr. looks to take his game to the next level in the NBA. In recent mock drafts, The Athletic has the Hornets taking UConn champion Donovan Clingan at pick six. Yahoo Sports says the Hornets will take Reed Sheppard, the guard out of the University of Kentucky. Neither outlet has Burns Jr. being selected in the first round.
However, the second day of the draft is likely to be just as interesting as fans and teams alike will be wondering if LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, will hear his name called and by whom. The Hornets also own the 42 pick overall, which is in the second round. The Hornets could certainly use another aggressive post-player who can play down low and shoot the ball. It wouldn’t hurt if you could also sell tickets.
We should watch for the possibility of Burns getting the call here. He has been working very hard in draft preparation, even losing 45 pounds. Furthermore, he would pair nicely with another local #30, Seth Curry. Curry is the son of Hornets fan-favorite Dell Curry and the brother of Steph.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
Ranking The 5 Best NBA Uniforms Of The 90's
Arguably, the 1990’s may have been the greatest cultural decade in America. Legendary rock music stormed onto the scene, hip-hop was in its “golden era,” Blockbuster video was the place to be, and the NBA featured some of the greatest basketball talent to ever play the game. During the ’90s, NBA teams also sported some classic uniforms.
Many of these looks are making a comeback. In fact, my kids’ in-town youth programs even opted to forgo the traditional jersey with the town name on it this year. Instead, each team was assigned the name of a NBA squad. Better yet, their uniforms are all a nod to the classic looks from the ’90s. We’re talking the likes of Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets, and Orlando Magic originals.
In order to compile this ranking of which five teams in the NBA rocked the best and most classic uniforms, some conditions needed to be set.
Best 1990 NBA Uniform Criteria
Yes, the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers were prominent franchises during this decade (All 6 of Michael Jordan’s championships happened in the ’90s). However, teams that have not changed their uniform design presently are excluded. So, teams like the Bulls, Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Spurs and Trail Blazers are out.
Here is what I was looking for. The teams from the 1990’s had the perfect combination of classic uniforms, that were worn by beloved players. Furthermore, these looks still represent tradition and memorable years where the teams saw some success. For example, if you were to ask a NBA fan what do you envision when I say the name Karl Malone, the answer would be “The Mailman” taking the rock to the hoop in his physical one-hand-on-the-head pose, wearing the purple and yellow Jazz insignia.
Color Codes
It’s important to note, each player was able to seek their own sneaker endorsem*nt at this time (much like today). However, pro basketball players had to follow some guidelines with what they could wear. Often it was a white or black sneaker only.
The irony here is that although the creative color options were limited, the sneaker game from the ’90s was also legendary. Air Jordan Jumpman’s from throughout this decade remain some of the most sought-after (and expensive) shoes.
In addition, there was a uniform format of the ’90s. Teams strictly wore white at home, and color away.
Not that we have fully set the stage as to what the best decade in the NBA looked like, let’s rank the five most legendary 90’s uniforms.
*Honorable mention for teams not included in this list include the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets.
#5 Utah Jazz
This Jazz logo is back these days. However, the purple away threads with yellow Utah Jazz across the chest remains a very 1990’s look. The basketball embedded in the “J” brings the logo to new level. The home look was exactly the same , it just featured a white uniform. Jazz Legends that wore this include Karl Malone and John Stockton.
Photo: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images
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This was the original Magic look. The team’s first season was in 1989, and they wore the white pinstripe home, and black pinstripe aways until 1998. The team made it to their first Finals appearance, sporting this look in 1995. Magic legends who wore this include Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.
Photo: All Sport / Getty Images
#3 Phoenix Suns
The Suns sported a similar design model to the Jazz with a prominent graphic wrapped around the chest. The Suns made the list for two reasons. First, this look was such an upgrade from the previous uniform design, which really bland. Second, it was synonymous with that infamous team that took the Chicago Bulls to six games in the 1993 Finals. Suns legends that wore this include Charles Barkley and Dan Majerle.
Photo: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport / Getty Images
#2 Seattle Supersonics
Oh wow. The green with the white Sonics ribbon and yellow numbers is as classic ’90s basketball as you can get. The green and yellow may also be the best color combination in NBA history. It just fit Seattle and even rock stars like Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament wore these jerseys loud and proud. The Sonics should have never gone away from them in mid-’90s and Seattle should have never let the Sonics go. Supersonics legends who wore this include Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton.
Rick Stewart/Getty Images
#1 Charlotte Hornets
The teal and purple were just so out of the ordinary. When the Hornets came into the league in 1988 they immediately took the court marching to their own beat. They embraced the clip-art bumble bee. In contrast, both their home and away jersey only said “Charlotte” across the chest as opposed to “Hornets.” A more modern, upgraded look is what the team wears now. It slightly pays respect to their beyond entertaining teams of the ’90s. Hornets legends that wore this include Larry “Grandmama” Johnson and Alonzo Mourning.
Photo: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
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