Charlotte Hornets Unveil New Uniforms -- Larry Johnson's Not Walking Through That Door, Fans

Is the buzz starting to wear off already? Nah, I don't think so. But some Charlotte Hornets fans are feeling a little stung today after team officials unveiled the highly anticipated new uniforms. My first reaction was like, "they're okay." And then I felt that the design of the new jerseys and shorts will grow on me. But the reaction was pretty much either love it or hate it for many of the fans commenting on social media (isn't it always like that for commenters, though), especially on the Hornets' Facebook announcement.

Charlotte Hornets will wear these uniforms during the 2014-15 NBA season. Credit: Hornets

This is basically what it comes down to. A lot of people who are excited about having the Hornets name, brand, and colors return to its rightful city, are holding on too tightly to nostalgia. They weren't going to be happy with the new uniforms unless they looked almost exactly like what Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Dell Curry, and Muggsy Bogues and 'em wore during Charlotte's NBA heyday (like the team gear Kriss Kross and I rocked as kids).

Credit: bleacherreport.com

Like Rick Pitino infamously said during a press conference back in 2000 while he was head coach of the Boston Celtics: "Larry Bird's not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale's not walking through that door, and Robert Parrish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they're going to be gray and old." Larry Johnson's not walking through that door, Hornets fans, and neither are the 1990s-era uniforms. Muggsy is though--he's an ambassador for the team and the new look.

I'm still excited about having the Hornets back, and here's to the future!

See the descriptions breakdown of the new uniforms and the unveiling video. And by the way, the uniforms are on public display inside the atrium of Mint Museum Uptown through July 10 (it's free to enter the atrium so go check them out in person).

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Stephen Curry Videobombs Dell During Pre-Game; Bobblehead Giveaway Saturday, February 8

This is just one more reason for me to convey how much I love The Currys. The Charlotte Bobcats played the Golden State Warriors last night (and won), out on the West Coast. And during the pre-game telecast on FOX Sports Carolinas, Stephen Curry videobombed his dad, Dell Curry. The three broadcasters--Stephanie Ready (looking flawless as usual), Steve Martin, and Dell--all got a good laugh out of it. See video below.

H/T Bleacher Report

And speaking of Dell, a limited edition Dell Curry Charlotte Hornets bobblehead will be given away to the first 10,000 fans this Saturday, February 8, during the Bobcats' home game against the San Antonio Spurs. This is the third of five Buzz City Nights the Bobcats are putting on this season as the team prepares to make the transition back to the Charlotte Hornets name next season.

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Personal Look at the Curry Family in Montessori Video

While most of the world knows Sonya Curry as Stephen and Seth's mom, the lady we enjoyed watching on television in the stands at college basketball games, she has an important day job. Aside from being the matriarch of Charlotte's First Family of sports, which also includes husband Dell and daughter Sydel, Sonya is the founder and head of school of the Christian Montessori School at Lake Norman. Because the school is a member of the American Montessori Society, we're treated to a video the society produced, featuring the Curry family discussing how receiving a Montessori education positively impacted their lives.

Photo of a young Curry family, shown in the Montessori video. 

I first became familiar with Montessori schools several years ago, shortly after moving to Charlotte. I was working on a magazine article that led me to learn that Montessori schools, for the most part, allow students to learn at their own pace and there are usually multiple ages placed in a classroom to foster peer learning. In the video, all five of the Currys talk about what they like about Montessori education. But what I think you'll enjoy most is getting a rare glimpse into the personal lives of a family that has been in the public eye for much of the last 20 years, but does their best to keep a relatively low profile outside of their professions.

In describing each of her kids' personalities, Sonya says Steph is really task oriented, Seth is quiet, shy, and reserved, and Sydel is a social butterfly. If you've ever come across Sydel's Twitter, then you know the Elon University freshman volleyball player is social. And I know that the Sonya Curry stans will be happy to see that the hot mom gets a lot of face time in the video.

I learned of this video from a tweet Steph posted yesterday.

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MJ's Bringing Back the Hornets; Your Move, Charlotte

So the "buzz" is real again in Charlotte. After several months, heck, even years, of fans wanting the Hornets name and mascot to return to Charlotte's NBA team, Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan announced last evening that the team has officially submitted their application to the NBA to change their name to the Charlotte Hornets, beginning with the 2014-15 season. They've created a new marketing campaign called "Back The Buzz" and have launched a website, BackBuzzCity.com. The Hornets returning is major news, obviously, for the city, but also for the state, region, across the entire league, and for millions of people who grew up Charlotte Hornets fans.

Photos credit: Bobcats.com

Aside from all the fanfare and away from all the sports reports you're reading, let me tell you what this all really means to you.

In Jordan's official statement, he said, in part: "The response we received during the process of researching this decision was overwhelming and made it clear to us that you wanted the Hornets name back in Charlotte." I believe that. I've lived in Charlotte since 2005, moving here a couple of months before the Bobcats embarked on their second season and first in their new Uptown arena (which eventually would be named Time Warner Cable Arena). Back then, many fans couldn't let go of having lost the Hornets to New Orleans, despite having been granted a new NBA franchise so quickly, thanks to NBA Commissioner David Stern and original Bobcats owner Bob Johnson.

Initially, I was against the idea of Charlotte getting the Hornets name back. I felt like the city and fans needed to embrace this new era, and stop holding onto the past. This was my view, and I'm one of those people who grew up a Charlotte Hornets fan, from my small town in South Carolina. I even chastised Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in December 2011 for wearing a Charlotte Hornets hat to a Bobcats home game (sitting next to Jordan at that). And, of course, up until a few months ago when the New Orleans Hornets announced they would be changing their mascot to the Pelicans, Charlotte getting the Hornets back wasn't even possible.

After grassroots campaigns like "Bring Back The Buzz" and "We Beelieve" launched a year or two ago and gained momentum, and after I met John Morgan of We Beelieve during the taping of an episode of 282 last year, I started to warm up to the idea. Now, it's no longer just an idea. It's on the path to becoming reality.

The Bobcats are going to have to spend a few million dollars as the team becomes the Hornets--new logos, uniforms, team colors, signage at the arena, around the city and the NBA; new merchandise--which means it's going to be extremely difficult to sell Bobcats gear during the 2013-14 season (expect major markdowns). Essentially by listening to the desire of fans and making this investment, Jordan is showing his commitment to this city and franchise, something that's been questioned in the past. I think some of his moves over the past couple of years, including his many philanthropic deeds in the community (the Book Bus, for example) and the purchase of an Uptown condo and, more recently, a mansion on Lake Norman, have quieted that doubt.

So now the move is on you, Charlotte. You asked for the Hornets, and they'll be yours again. You're going to need to pack out home games during the 2014-15 season, when your newly named team amasses another losing record. This isn't me being negative, this is my presumption based on recent history. The Bobcats finished with the worst record in the NBA in 2011-12 and the second-worst in 2012-13. That's the result of poor decisions and failed moves in the NBA Draft and with trades, and I don't expect the team--which is currently without a head coach--to play much better next season. In 2014-15, I expect the former-Bobcats-now-Hornets will continue to be far below .500.  But you're going to need to cheer them on at TWC arena, because those of you who frequently touted the nostalgia of the Charlotte Hornets often talked about how Charlotte Coliseum had sold-out crowds for several years, even when the Hornets weren't that good (364 consecutive home game sellouts from December 23, 1988 through November 21, 1997, to be exact). Because y'all were excited about the team. (In 2010, as part of Charlotte magazine's "Where Are They Now?" feature, I gave an update on all 15 players and the head coach of the inaugural 1988-89 Charlotte Hornets team, including Muggsy Bogues, Rex Chapman, Dell Curry, and Kelly Tripucka.)

Another thing that's often pointed out is how Charlotte Hornets gear, referred to as retro or throwbacks, saw a resurgence in popularity a couple of years ago and the trend continues today. My "Summer of the Snapbacks" blog post from nearly two years ago continues to get ridiculous traffic, largely from people Googling snapback hats, including the Hornets kind. Fashion is largely based on fads, but you're going to need to show your support by buying the "new" Charlotte Hornets stuff, beginning with the Back The Buzz merchandise Jordan Brand has just launched.

Time to show and prove, Charlotte Hornets fans.

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Stephen Curry Is Either the New Generation's Ray Allen or Reggie Miller

If you haven't seen the highlight reel from Stephen Curry's video-game-like performance during the third quarter of the Golden State Warriors versus Denver Nuggets playoff game last night, stop what you're doing and watch it right now.

In a span of six minutes, Steph scored 22 points, including hitting off-balanced floaters and five three-pointers. Any basketball fan will tell you that the Charlotte native and former Davidson College star is one of the best shooters in the NBA. He set a record a week and a half ago when he concluded the regular season with the most three pointers in a single season in NBA history--his 272 three pointers surpassed Ray Allen's record of 269.

Congrats #CLT native @stephencurry30 on @nba record. MT @warriors: Corner 3 by Curry brings it up to 272! INFOGRAPHIC twitter.com/warriors/statu…
— Jarvis Holliday (@HollidayInk) April 18, 2013

And speaking of Ray, he's the player Steph seems to be compared to the most these days. They're both among the greatest shooters of all-time and arguably the best shooters of their respective generations--Steph is in his fourth NBA season, while Ray is in his 17th (sort of like how Kobe Bryant was beginning to rise as a young star in the league when Michael Jordan was on the tail end of his career). I got to see Steph and Ray play early on in each of their careers. I grew up in the same area in South Carolina as Ray, so when I was in middle school I attended many of his basketball games during his senior year when he led our Hillcrest Wildcats to the state championship.

It's natural to compare Steph and Ray because fans today have gotten to see them play in the league at the same time for a few years. But I think Steph's game is more like retired Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller, in that he will take over a game and take shots that most players wouldn't have the nerve--or skill--to attempt. The main difference between Steph and Reggie, the latter whom played several seasons against the former's dad, Dell Curry, is that Steph will bury threes all over your head while wearing a smile on his face (he has that nice guy persona), and Reggie used to shoot up your arena and taunt you (he seemed to love for you to hate him on the court).

But whether you're comparing Steph to Ray or Reggie, that's great company for the 25 year-old to be in.

The fans who watched Steph warm up before last night's game got an indication of the type of night he was going to have, when he hit a H.O.R.S.E.-like shot from behind the players bench. So the deep three pointers he hit during the game were a cinch.

Credit: @CorkGaines

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I Should've Blogged About Sonya Curry a Lot

The Duke Blue Devils lost to the Louisville Cardinals this evening, thus concluding a great era in college sports: the end of Sonya Curry rooting for her sons at NCAA basketball games.

More than four years ago, I wrote a fairly simple blog post here on Grown People Talking, titled "Two Things I Realized About Sonya Curry." In that February 2009 post, I was pointing out how Mrs. Curry was a favorite for TV sports crews to give camera time to while in the stands at her son Stephen Curry's Davidson College basketball games. Stephen entered the NBA Draft later that year and has since embarked on a stellar career with the Golden State Warriors.

Meanwhile, the next Curry son, Seth, who back in 2009 was a dazzling freshman at Liberty University, would eventually transfer to Duke. After he sat out the mandatory season as required when athletes transfer colleges, he began making an impact with the Blue Devils, particularly the last two seasons and especially this season.

So for much of the last five years--since Stephen's sophomore season (2007-08) when he became a national sensation, through Seth's senior season this year, we've gotten to see frequent glimpses of the First Lady of Charlotte's most admirable sports family during nationally televised games. Sadly, that ended this evening, with this being Seth's final college game and no more Curry sons behind him to play college hoops.

This gif of a screenshot of Sonya Curry in the stands during an ESPN-televised Duke game last month quickly went viral. Credit: CBSsports.com

That blog post I wrote about Mrs. Curry back in 2009 is the third-most-viewed Grown People Talking blog post of all-time. It's regularly among the most-visited posts month after month, especially during the college basketball season, with major spikes over the years during days when one of the Curry boys played televised games. Tens of thousands of people have made their way to my blog simply because they Googled Sonya Curry.

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Good Luck Stephen and Ayesha!

Stephen Curry and fiancée Ayesha Alexander are getting married this Saturday in Charlotte, where they both grew up. At ages 23 and 22, respectively, I hope these two young lovebirds have a long, happy future together. (And if the NBA continues its lockout, the couple might be able to enjoy a long honeymoon).

Photo via ThanksUSA.

Keep up with the soon-to-be-newlyweds on Twitter--@stephencurry30 and @ayeshaalexander--and see if they share any of their wedded bliss (or wedding jitters). Ayesha tweeted earlier today her excitement about her bachelorette party tonight.

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Stephen and Dell Curry's NBA Commercial Proves Amazing Truly Happens

Over the last few years, the NBA's "Where Amazing Happens" promotional campaign has been one of the best ever in sports marketing. The latest project from it is called "Encouragement," in which there have been 30-second TV commercials featuring Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul in sequences that put their pasts--usually showing them working hard perfecting their crafts--up against their presents. The latest commercial features two of the Currys, whom I've deemed Charlotte's First Family of Basketball.

Stephen with parents Dell and Sonya Curry. Younger brother Seth currently plays for Duke.

A few nights ago, the commercial premiered on TNT, featuring a young Stephen Curry, who is now in his second season with the Golden State Warriors, shooting hoops with his father, Dell Curry, during warm-ups before a game in 2000 while Dell was playing for the Toronto Raptors. According to a Dime Magazine interview with an executive for NBA Entertainment, a production assistant found the old footage of father-and-son-Curry. In the current clip, it's been meshed with footage of a child actor talking to young Stephen. "In 10 years, I'll be with my dad, and we'll be watching you," the kid says.

See the video below.

See more videos at www.nba.com/video.

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Stephen Curry's Life on Display

Watching college basketball this season just isn't the same without Stephen Curry. I'm not actually a Davidson College fan--I barely knew anything about it before I moved to Charlotte--but for three years it was exciting to see what Curry was going to do on the court and which team Davidson was going to upset. Last April, of course, Curry announced that he would be skipping his senior season to enter the NBA Draft. In June, when he was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the No. 7 pick, one of the first things that came to my mind was that we, in Charlotte, weren't going to see him play much this season because Golden State games just aren't televised much for East Coast audiences.

I try to catch up with how he's doing by checking for him on ESPN or by visiting the stats on NBA.com, but it's also been great to follow him on GQ.com in his "My Rookie Season" blog. GQ Magazine chose Curry to chronicle his first NBA season online, and in it you get to experience what it's like for him, as a 21 year-old, to be thousands of miles away from his hometown, to be living in Oakland, California, to travel from city to city to play several NBA games per week (hanging at LeBron James's house when he played at Cleveland), and how he deals with his stardom.


Curry often makes comparisons to Charlotte, and sometimes reminisces about his Davidson days, understandably so since those things were going on in his life this time last year. He usually blogs on the GQ site at least twice a week, but today's post is his first in nearly four weeks. And in this post, it's evident that playing on a not-so-good team against so many great Western Conference opponents is starting to take its toll on him.

Visit www.gq.com/about/my-rookie-season to follow Curry, and I advise you to read several of the past posts, which is like peeking into his diary.

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Good Luck Stephen. Thanks for the Memories

As you probably know by now, Stephen Curry announced during a press conference yesterday that he plans to skip his senior season at Davidson and enter this year's NBA Draft. There are a lot of opinions out there about whether or not he made the right decision and even more people opining on how well they think he'll do in the NBA. All I have to say about Curry is good luck. You gave us three years of great college basketball, certainly better than Davidson and the Charlotte area as a whole has ever seen.

Many sports writers are saying Curry, who led the NCAA in scoring this past season, could be the next Adam Morrison in the NBA--not good. Lebron James has said Curry could be the next Richard Hamilton--that would be great. The fact of the matter is, no one will know until number 30 puts on an NBA jersey this fall.

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A Lot On Curry's Plate

Davidson basketball star Stephen Curry appeared on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption yesterday, and even though the nation's top scorer isn't playing in the NCAA Tournament, where we'd all prefer to see him, there's no other college basketball player getting as much media attention right now. You can find stories about Curry in the sports section of just about every major newspaper this weekend and he's all over the 'net. The sports world is anxiously awaiting his decision as to whether he'll return for his senior season at Davidson or enter this year's NBA Draft.

After Davidson was eliminated from the NIT on Monday, Curry stated the next day that he's 50-50 on his decision to return to college and that he would talk to his parents this weekend to evaluate his options. Yesterday on PTI, he joked that he's now 53-47. I would imagine some interesting discussions are taking place this weekend between Stephen, his father Dell, and mother Sonya.

If I had to place a bet, I would put my money on Curry coming back for his senior year. While I agree with most basketball analysts that he would likely be a lottery pick in this year's draft and that he doesn't have much to gain by staying another year at Davidson, I think he's going to defy expectations and decide to stay. The opinion that he doesn't have much to gain by staying in college--Davidson isn't likely to be a contender for the NCAA championship next year, which is why some players in his position opt to come back, and last year when he led them to the Elite Eight was probably their peak--isn't as much of a factor for Curry because I believe he truly loves the college game. And I know we love the attention he brings to college basketball in this area. If he leaves, there'll be no more reasons for Davidson's games to be televised nationally and no reason for them to play a couple of home games a year at Time Warner Cable Arena.

I'll reserve my opinion for now on how I think he'd do in the NBA, because I hope that reality is a year away.

See the video below of Curry's appearance on PTI, in which he talked about what will factor into his decision, whether he plans to consult BFF Lebron James, and what he knows about his brother Seth's plans to transfer to a larger school. And that's another reason for Stephen to stay. Since Seth has decided to leave Liberty and will likely transfer to a school in a major conference like the ACC, which means he'll have to sit out next season due to eligibility rules, if Stephen leaves we'll have to go a year without seeing a Curry shoot the lights out in college games.

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Two Things I Realized About Sonya Curry

Sonya Curry is the matriarch of the Curry family that has become a basketball dynasty. You should know their story. Dell Curry is the basketball great who played for the Charlotte Hornets, and he and Sonya raised their family here, which includes sons Stephen and Seth. Stephen is currently the leading scorer in the NCAA and younger brother Seth is leading all freshman in scoring. Because Stephen has become such a big star and Davidson's games are either televised or highlights run on SportsCenter, Mom Sonya has been thrust into the spotlight as well.

While watching SportsCenter just now, two things occurred to me. 1) Sports networks love to cut to shots of Sonya in the stands at Stephen's games (the family goes to a lot of Seth's Liberty games, too). 2) Sonya looks a lot like actress Thandie Newton.

Basketball Mom Sonya Curry gets a lot of face time during games.

Actress Thandie Newton could play Sonya if a movie is ever made about the Currys.

Sonya Curry is undoubtedly an attractive woman. You can find her on various hot mom lists on the web and many are using that four-letter 'M' word. And while I agree, I just don't feel comfortable calling certain women MILFs. I guess it's because Mrs. Curry seems so nice.

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Seth Curry Is a 'Diaper Dandy'

It's got to be tough to be Stephen Curry's little brother. Especially considering Seth Curry is just two years younger and plays the same sport and same position. While Stephen has been amazing the college basketball world for more than two years now at Davidson, Seth is quickly having his coming out party as a freshman at Liberty.


Seth is Dick Vitale's "Diaper Dandy of the Week." Here's what the legendary basketball analyst writes on ESPN.com: "The 6-3 freshman from Charlotte, whose brother is Davidson star Stephen Curry, helped Ritchie McKay's [Liberty] Flames win three games during the week. Curry had 26 points in a huge upset at Virginia. He had 22 points and eight rebounds against Coker, followed by 21 points in 50 minutes during a double-overtime thriller over William and Mary."

Seth is one of seven freshmen on the Liberty men's basketball team. They're off to a 5-1 start and even though they're in the Big South conference (which includes local favorite Winthrop), this could be the making of a great basketball story. Think about it--seven freshmen. But I won't put that kind of pressure on them. It's enough weight on the shoulders being Stephen Curry's little brother.

Liberty plays Clemson on Sunday.

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