Michael Jordan’s worst draft picks from failing reign as Charlotte Hornets owner
NBA icon Michael Jordan will no longer be the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets after agreeing a deal this week.
The six-time NBA champion agreed a deal to sell a majority stake of the team to Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall which ends his 13-year reign as chairman of the franchise.
Despite his success as a player which has resulted in many regarding Jordan as the greatest basketball player ever, his tenure as an owner has been less than ideal.
Since becoming a majority owner of the team in 2010, the Hornets have made the playoffs just three times and have failed to win a single post-season series.
READ MORE: NBA legend set for $32m Reebok payday on 55th birthday despite retiring in 2011
The lack of success on the court coupled with the poor draft decisions throughout the years means the Hornets have been one of the worst-performing NBA teams under Jordan’s stewardship.
You’d think a former player of his calibre would have a better eye for talent but his track record in the draft says different as Daily Star Sport looks at some of Michael Jordan’s worst draft picks at the Charlotte Hornets.
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5 – Adam Morrison
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The forward was chosen with the third overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft and lasted just four years in the NBA.
Despite a promising rookie year where he averaged 11.8 points per game, Morrison suffered a torn ACL in his second season which effectively ended his career at Charlotte before he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
He left the Hornets after playing just 122 games and was picked ahead of the likes of two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo and perennial All-Star, LaMarcus Aldridge.
4. Frank Kaminsky
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The 7 ft 0 in center was picked with the number nine pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and just never realised the potential that he had in college.
Kaminsky lasted four years in Charlotte, averaging nine points per game during his tenure with the side before he became a journeyman in the league, as he’s played for three teams in the last three years.
Once again, Jordan missed out on an All-Star player in Devin Booker who was picked just four spots after Kaminsky by the Phoenix Suns.
3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
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The joint longest-serving Hornets player on this list, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist spent eight years with the franchise after being chosen with the number two pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Despite his lengthy tenure with the side, he never went on to reach the heights he was expected to as he ended his career as a bench option.
He’s been out of the league since 2020 following a short stint with the Dallas Mavericks and choosing him in 2012 meant that Jordan missed out on All-NBA talents, Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard, who have become two of the best scoring guards in the league.
2. Noah Vonleh
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The 27-year-old spent just one season with the Charlotte Hornets after being drafted ninth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
He played 25 games for the team and averaged 3.3 points per game before he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Nine years on, he’s without a team after he was waived by the San Antonio Spurs this year and his selection by Jordan went ahead of the likes of Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine and the recently crowed NBA Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic.
While it may be harsh to blame Jordan for not seeing the two-time MVP’s potential considering he was drafted in the second round, it’s yet another poor draft decision that has continually set back the franchise.
1. Cody Zeller
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Like Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller also spent eight years with the Charlotte Hornets before making the move elsewhere.
The center was picked with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and achieved a respectable career with the Hornets, averaging over 10 points per game three times in his career.
However, when you compare his career to a player that was chosen 11 spots ahead of him and became a two-time MVP and NBA champion, it doesn’t look good on Jordan.
That player is indeed Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
While the ‘Greek Freak’ is arguably the best player in the NBA today, Zeller is fresh off an NBA Finals appearance with the Miami Heat where his side lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets.
