Every Charlotte Hornets Retired Number and the Story Behind It

The story behind the three numbers at Spectrum Center.

Mar 19, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Former Charlotte Hornets great Dell Curry has his jersey retired at halftime of the game against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Retiring jerseys is a topic that will spur some kind of reaction from Hornet fans.

Many would argue the team should be retiring more numbers, while others would say there haven’t been enough impactful players to warrant such an action. That said, there are three jerseys that hang in the rafters at the Spectrum, with one of those numbers universally retired across the league.

No. 6

Let’s start with Bill Russell, whose jersey is retired league-wide. Russell was long retired by the time the Hornets came into existence; however, his impact on the game is still felt today.

The late Celtics center is one of the greatest winners in all of sports. He’s an eleven-time NBA champion with five MVP trophies. On top of that, he’s a two-time NCAA champion, as well as an Olympic Gold medalist. But Russell’s on-court accolades are only a small part of why he is so important to league history.

Having played in the 60s, he stared racism and prejudice in the face every time he entered an NBA arena and never backed down. In addition to being the first black player drafted by the Celtics, he was later the NBA’s first-ever black head coach. In 2011, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

No. 13

Before the league retired Russell’s number in 2022, Bobby Phills’ number sat all by itself in the rafters of both the Charlotte Coliseum and the Spectrum Center.

For what it’s worth, Michael Jordan once referred to Phills as the toughest defender he ever faced. However, by and large, Phills’ story is a tragic one, as he sadly died in a car accident in 2000. Shortly after, the Hornets retired their late point guard’s number.

When the team moved to New Orleans, Phills’ number stayed retired until the Hornets name was brought back to Charlotte and New Orleans changed its team's name to the Pelicans. In 2014, the Charlotte Hornets had a second retirement ceremony to honor Phills' memory.

No. 30

Go ahead and say he was never a franchise player; there’s still no denying Dell Curry’s impact on the Hornets and Charlotte basketball.

During his playing days, he was one of the franchise’s most reliable players, as he was known for his three-point shooting. In 1994, he won the 6th Man of the Year award. Curry would spend ten years in Charlotte before departing for Milwaukee in 1998.

When he left the franchise, he was the only player remaining from the first-ever Hornets team. When he retired, he was the team’s all-time leader in points. His jersey is still getting used to its surroundings, having just been retired this past season.  Today, Curry gets to see it on a nightly basis as he still calls games for the Hornets’ local broadcasts.  

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