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Debut on Deck? Charlotte Hornets Provide Massive Update on Coby White

Coby White is available to play tomorrow night versus the Chicago Bulls.
Owen Watterson|
Feb 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives to the basket as Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) follows on the play during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Feb 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) drives to the basket as Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) follows on the play during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

For the first time since the trade deadline ended on Thursday, February 5th, Charlotte's highly anticipated new point guard, Coby White, has been listed as "probable" by Charlotte Hornets PR.

White gets to show out for his new team in Charlotte against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, at 8:00 PM EST, in the United Center. Chicago drafted White with the seventh overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Hornets traded Collin Sexton, and what was amended to be two second-round picks sent to Chicago in return for Coby White, who is on an expiring 12.89 million contract.

Charlotte Hornets General Manager Jeff Peterson has been asked, and the Hornets have hinted, about the team's intention to sign White to a contract extension when the time is right. Playing time has to come before an extension ever becomes official.

White will be Charlotte's long-term sixth man as a backup to star PG LaMelo Ball, who is still steadily maintaining some level of minutes management when the Hornets play a lot of games in a short span. This restriction with Ball has helped him play 48-straight games with the Hornets for the first time since 2022.

This is where Coby will do a lot of work for the Hornets. White's stats look similar to those of Collin Sexton when he was in Charlotte. Where Sexton struggled was with high volume. White may be a similar archetype of player, but as Coby continues to ramp up to 100% health from injury, he will play starter's minutes off the bench.

Charlotte struggles when LaMelo is off the court, and White has the potential to be another offensive engine that keeps the Hornets from stagnating and ball-watching when their star player heads to the pine. Sexton helped by getting to the rim, but he often had tunnel vision and missed players wide open on the wing.

White looks to be a more pass-first option who can recreate LaMelo Ball more accurately in the aggregate than Collin Sexton was capable of doing.

Coby White is the all-time points leader in the North Carolina High School Basketball League's history.

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Owen Watterson
OWEN WATTERSON

Owen Watterson is a sports writer and researcher who has previously covered Clemson athletics for On SI, and worked as a radio producer and on-air voice for Greenville’s The Fan Upstate. Now, Owen has a deep focus on the Hornets’ historical and cultural identity through extensive archival research displayed on his self-created X account, @HornetsHistory. Outside of sports media, Owen spends time with family and playing his beloved Martin D-28.

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