The Hornets' Resurgence Means Something Deeper for Hometown Kid Grant Williams

The Charlotte Hornets sit at .500 with 20 games remaining in the NBA regular season.

Feb 28, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) reacts during the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

With 20 games to go in the regular season, the Charlotte Hornets sit at .500, marking the first time the team has done so in March since the 2021-22 season. 

The team has strong ambitions of not just the NBA Play-In tournament, but a postseason playoff series — a stark turnaround for a team that finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 19-63 and 14th in the Eastern Conference, and for a franchise that hasn't made a postseason playoff series in a decade.

However, with new ownership in 2023 came a focus on a culture shift and identity change, which has slowly brought new life. Add in Charles Lee in 2024 as a first-time head coach in the league with NBA championship success as an assistant coach and players with the drive and mindset to make an impact, and slowly, but surely, success is on the rise.

Charlotte native Grant Williams, who was traded to the Hornets by the Dallas Mavericks on February 8, 2024, came to the Queen City with a mission of turning his hometown franchise around.

“When we got traded here, Seth [Curry] and I, we talked about changing this culture and being a part of it,” Williams said on the two native Charlotteans’ goals. 

“I wish my brother could be here with me as a part of it, but it’s a different meaning for us just because we grew up watching Kemba [Walker], Gerald [Henderson] . . . I watched Emeka Okafor, Raymond Felton, like you’ve seen all those years.”

Knowing the potential of the Queen City as a community and as a basketball organization is something Williams has witnessed for his entire life; now, he wants to help elevate beyond the city limits.

“We have a lot of people who believe in us. It’s a premier organization that we are trying to establish, and not just across the Charlotte area in North Carolina, it’s South Carolina, Virginia, and all the fans around us and across the country or across the world,” Williams explained.

“Charlotte has always been a gold mine, and I think that the Hornets organization is the same thing.”

The opportunity to make a difference in the trajectory of his hometown team is something Williams doesn't take for granted.

“So [this is a] super excited direction that we’re headed and to be a part of it is definitely a blessing,” Williams said.