A New Vibe is Taking Over at Spectrum Center and Miles Bridges Has Noticed

The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the losingest franchises in all of basketball since the moniker returned to its rightful owner in the Queen City. That statement still holds true if you want to lump in the days of the Charlotte Bobcats as well.

Simply put, it's been a long, long time since Charlotte has had a competitive team playing for something more than lottery odds. This year's roster has changed the expectations and the mood around the organization. With a win on Tuesday night, the Hornets will move to 31-31, marking the latest in the season they've been .500 or better since the 2021-22 season.

The vibe inside Spectrum Center is completely different, and the longest-tenured Hornet, Miles Bridges, has taken notice.

🎙️ Miles Bridges on the building fan energy: "It felt great. The crowd is gradually getting louder and louder. Every win, we're getting closer to the postseason. The fans are showing up for us and we're feeling the love... it's great to be back."

"It's a different vibe. We'd go… pic.twitter.com/5NQGtHb7eD
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) March 1, 2026

"It felt great. The crowd is gradually getting louder and louder," Bridges said following Saturday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers. "Every win we get and get closer to the postseason, the fans are showing up for us, and we're feeling the love. It's great to be back.

"It's a different vibe," he continued. "We'd go to away games, they teams would be loud, cheering them on. We didn't have the same at home. I mean, some people showed up, but now it's like everybody's showing up, showing us love. Shoutout to the fans that’s been down with us before, and shoutout to the fans now. I'm happy to be a part of this."

That 2021-22 season was my first covering the franchise, and since then, it's been a lot of nights covering a team on the losing end, who had been battered with injuries and no hope for the immediate future. There were many games where you could hear the away team's fans overtake Spectrum Center with a "Let's Go Knicks!", "Let's Go Heat!", "Let's Go Sixers!" or" Let's Go Celtics!" chant. There would even be MVP chants ringing throughout the arena for an opposing team's player.

It wasn't that Hornets fans didn't exist. They just didn't have a reason to spend a lot of money to watch their team more than likely lose. Transplants from other major cities saw those games as an easy, cheap opportunity to watch their team and get a win.

Those days appear to be long gone. Ticket prices are only going to increase as the team continues to climb the ladder in the East, and with each win, those tickets will be harder to come by. At times this season, it has felt like a playoff atmosphere. The crowd gets loud and super into it, even in the first quarter. This city has been starving for a fun product, and now they finally have one, turning Spectrum Center into a true homecourt advantage.