Where Are They Now? Every Former Charlotte Hornets Lottery Pick
There is no sugarcoating it: the Charlotte Hornets have struggled to achieve consistent success over the course of their history. In the nine seasons since re-adopting the Hornets moniker, the team has only made one playoff appearance.
In their struggles to reach the postseason, Charlotte has found themselves in possession of NBA Draft lottery picks on a near-yearly basis. Some of the players they have selected in the first 14 picks of the draft over the years have been massive successes, such as LaMelo Ball. Others, however, have wound up as disappointments.
Of the 11 players the Hornets have taken in the lottery since 2011, four remain in Charlotte. Those players are P.J. Washington, LaMelo Ball, James Bouknight, and Brandon Miller. Here, we will look at the remaining seven players from the list and where they are today.
2011: Kemba Walker - AS Monaco
Arguably the greatest player in Charlotte Hornets history, Kemba Walker is still beloved by Hornets fans thanks to his extensive list of accomplishments in his eight years with the franchise. "Cardiac Kemba" became a household name in the Queen City shortly after being drafted ninth overall in 2011.
Walker is Charlotte's all-time leader in points, minutes played, and field goals made. He made three consecutive All-Star appearances with the Hornets from 2017 to 2019, as well as leading the team to their most recent playoff appearance in 2016.
After leaving Charlotte in 2019, Walker bounced around from the Celtics to the Knicks, before playing what appears to have been his final NBA minutes with the Mavericks during the 2022-23 season. In July 2023, Kemba signed a one-year deal with AS Monaco to continue his professional career overseas.
2012: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - Retired
Selected by the Hornets with the second overall pick in 2012, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will unfortunately always have his name connected with Anthony Davis. With the Hornets coming out of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season with by far the league's worst record, many expected them to land the top pick and select Davis out of the University of Kentucky.
But the ping pong balls did not favor Charlotte, and the team instead ended up with the second pick, taking Davis' Kentucky teammate instead. Kidd-Gilchrist remained with the Hornets for eight seasons, but he was never able to live up to the hype of a top-two prospect.
After reaching a buyout agreement with Charlotte in 2020, MKG signed with the Dallas Mavericks where he appeared in 13 games before ultimately retiring.
2013: Cody Zeller - New Orleans Pelicans
In a 2013 NBA Draft where there was not a clear choice for the number one pick, Cody Zeller was in the mix. The Charlotte Hornets owned the fourth overall pick that year, and they took the Indiana big man when he dropped a few more spots than expected.
Also spending eight years with the franchise, Zeller enjoyed several solid campaigns with the team. But similar to Kidd-Gilchrist, he was not able to be the kind of needle-moving star that the Hornets needed to become a contender. Zeller moved on from Charlotte in 2021, signing with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Earlier this year, he joined the Miami Heat, helping them reach the 2023 NBA Finals as a role player off the bench. In July, Zeller signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
2014: Noah Vonleh - Shanghai Sharks
The Hornets' selection of Noah Vonleh in 2014 marked the second year in a row the team decided to go with a player from Indiana University. However, Vonleh's tenure in Charlotte was decidedly shorter than Zeller's.
The ninth overall pick in 2014 spent just one season with the Hornets before being shipped out in the trade that sent Nicolas Batum to Charlotte. Vonleh spent the next eight seasons of his pro career with seven different NBA teams, as well as the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
In August 2023, Vonleh returned to the Sharks after making a brief NBA comeback in the 2022-23 season.
2015: Frank Kaminsky - KK Partizan
One year after taking Vonleh with the ninth overall pick in 2014, the Hornets opted for the multitalented big man from Wisconsin with the ninth pick in 2015. Kaminsky spent the first four seasons of his career in Charlotte but was never able to earn a full-time starting role.
He went on to sign with the Phoenix Suns in the summer of 2019, eventually reaching the NBA Finals as a role player with the team in 2021. He spent the 2022-23 season with Atlanta and Houston, before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
When no NBA teams showed interest in picking him up, Kaminsky decided to continue his pro season overseas with KK Partizan of Belgrade, Serbia.
2017: Malik Monk - Sacramento Kings
The 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Malik Monk was another former Kentucky Wildcat who began his NBA career in Charlotte. Monk played with the Hornets from his rookie season until 2021, when he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
Though he saw steady progression during his time in Charlotte, the team opted not to make Monk a priority during the 2021 offseason. Monk would instead bring his budding talents to LA and later to Sacramento, where he helped the Kings end their 17-year playoff drought in 2023.
2018: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Oklahoma City Thunder
On draft night in 2018, the Charlotte Hornets were convinced they wanted to select Miles Bridges. To do so, they orchestrated a deal with the LA Clippers that sent the Hornets' 11th overall pick in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Clips, while getting Bridges to Charlotte in the process.
To this day, many see Gilgeous-Alexander as a massive missed opportunity for Charlotte. SGA's development since entering the league has been tremendous, with Chris Paul saying it has been the most impressive of any player he has seen since entering the league.
Gilgeous-Alexander has blossomed into one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, averaging 31.4 points for the Thunder on 51% shooting last season. He looks to be one of the premier perimeter players of the next generation.
