The Charlotte Hornets Gave Away A PS5 To A Kid On The Jumbotron Then Immediately Took It Back Once The Cameras Went Off

When I started this blog, I was going to go on a rant about just how far the Charlotte Hornets have fallen since they originally became an NBA franchise. They had a sweet Big 3 in Zo, LJ, and Muggsy along with an elite color scheme, jerseys, and Starter jackets that still hold up til this day.

Then they got shipped to New Orleans, became the Pelicans, then returned to the NBA after they realized the Charlotte Bobcats was a fucking TERRIBLE name even before you consider it was replacing a Tier 1 name/logo.

So now that I think of it, maybe the Hornets should just embrace being the villain and do shit like this more. They've already kicked multiple generations of fans directly in the dick by tearing apart fun teams, moving the franchise, and building rosters with utter incompetence for decades. All they have to do is go full Grinch and lean into being assholes to their fans. Sure it's a risky proposition for an NBA team. But those Dick's Last Resort restaurants where the waiters roasted you were smash hits back in the day. The Hornets clearly are not good at making their fans happy and probably never will be. But they could become the kings of social media by pranking their fans and since they are the only professional game in town, people will have no choice but to come to the games.

Which is why it was so disappointing to see the Hornets apologized for the stunt online.

God I hate that statement and not just because it is loaded with bad basketball puns. Call me naive, but I always like to think that the giveaways that happen on the jumbotron are actually real. One of my favorite things about League Pass is being able to see all the in-game entertainment other teams do. Saying that those moments are skits hurts more than seeing Red Panda drop a bowl.

I also think if you are going to make up for taking a PS5 away from a kid only because you were called out on social media, you gotta do better than simply giving him the PS5 he was supposed to take home along with a VIP experience at a Hornets game. What exactly is a VIP experience at a Hornets game? I'm sure it involves having access to a suite and all you can eat/drink. But the fact remains you are still, yanno, at a Hornets game. 

I was going to suggest that the Hornets should let this kid hang out with the face of the franchise for the day. But considering that face is LaMelo Ball, I'm not sure that would be a great idea.

So if you can't do that, why not let this kid live out something truly memorable, like a chance to play in an actual Hornets game? I'm not talking about taking the opening tip or anything. But when the Hornets are inevitably down 30 to a contender at the end of the game, why can't this kid log a few minutes and hoist a few shots up? Trust me, nobody will notice what happened at the end of another Hornets blowout.