Kendall Gill says leaving the Charlotte Hornets after his third NBA season remains one of his biggest career regrets, decades after the franchise became a 1990s cultural phenomenon.
“I got two regrets in my career: One was leaving the Charlotte Hornets as a free agent after my third year… We were young, but me not understanding what we had, I decided to test free agency,” Gill said on Pull Up With Scoop B.
“If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve signed and stayed with the Charlotte Hornets because that’s where I should’ve been… no wat would I have ever left Charlotte,” he added.
Gill, who joined Charlotte as the fifth overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, reflected on the franchise’s popularity and distinctive identity during an appearance on Pull Up With Scoop B.
The Hornets became known for their teal and purple color scheme, pinstriped uniforms and Starter jackets. The team worked with North Carolina designer Alexander Julian on its visual identity after entering the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1988.
“Everybody loved our colors… they were beautiful colors, and that’s why everyone wore our Starter jackets and most kids had the Charlotte Hornets jerseys,” Gill said.
He still keeps his old uniforms framed in his man cave, including the teal, purple and white versions. The distinctive look helped Charlotte become one of the league’s most recognizable brands during the early 1990s.
The team’s appeal also came from a charismatic young roster. Charlotte added Larry Johnson in 1991 and Alonzo Mourning in 1992, joining Gill, Muggsy Bogues and Dell Curry.
The Hornets reached the second round of the 1993 playoffs after beating the Boston Celtics in the opening round. They then pushed the New York Knicks to five games before their postseason run ended.
“Even though it was a small-market team, it was one of the most popular teams in the league aside from MJ in Chicago, Shaq in Orlando, and then L.A.,” Gill said. “And then us.”
Gill’s departure came before the franchise’s core was eventually broken up through subsequent trades involving Mourning and Johnson. Looking back on his 1990s career, he believes he should have stayed with the team that helped define his early NBA years.
