August 20, 2018 – The Charlotte Hornets today announced the schedule of the eight Classic Night games for the 2018-19 season as the franchise marks the 30th Anniversary of the inaugural 1988-89 Hornets season. Highlights of the schedule include nights honoring former Hornets greats Muggsy Bogues and Glen Rice on Friday, Dec. 14, and Saturday, Jan. 19, respectively.
The Classic Night schedule begins on Opening Night, Oct. 17, when the Hornets host the Milwaukee Bucks. The second game will come on Friday, Nov. 17, when the franchise recognizes the 10 players selected by fan voting as the 30th Anniversary Team during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Every fan in attendance will receive an Opening Night T-shirt, while the first 7,500 fans on Nov. 17 will receive a T-shirt commemorating the members of the 30th Anniversary Team.
Bogues, who was selected by the Hornets in the 1988 Expansion Draft and remains the franchise’s all-time leader in both assists and steals, will be honored on Friday, Dec. 14, when the Hornets play the New York Knicks. Rice, the only three-time All-Star in Hornets history, will have his recognition on Saturday, Jan. 19, when the Phoenix Suns come to town. Both players will take part in special halftime ceremonies acknowledging their achievements during their careers in Charlotte. The first 10,000 fans at each game will receive bobbleheads that depict Bogues in his teal warmup suit from the early years of the Hornets and Rice holding his All-Star MVP trophy.
Between the Bogues and Rice recognitions, the Hornets will salute legendary broadcaster Steve Martin with a similar night on Friday, Dec. 28, when they face the Brooklyn Nets as Charlotte plays the first season in franchise history without Martin calling the action on either television or radio. The first 10,000 fans entering Spectrum Center will receive a talking Steve Martin bobblehead that features Martin’s call of Alonzo Mourning’s series-clinching buzzer beater in Game 4 of the first round of the 1993 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics.
The season’s fourth bobblehead will feature 1991-92 NBA Rookie of the Year Larry Johnson and will be distributed to the first 10,000 fans on Friday, March 8, when the Hornets take on the Washington Wizards.
The Classic Night schedule will also include the contest against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, February 27, and the game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, March 23. Giveaways for those two games will be a Hornets fanny pack and a commemorative 30th Anniversary T-shirt, respectively, to the first 7,500 fans in attendance.
For each Classic Night game, the Hornets will wear the new white Classic Edition uniform that echoes those worn by the team from its inception in 1988 through 1997 and play on a special classic court based on the court used from 1995 through 1997. The games will feature appearances by former Hornets greats, additional throwback elements, and music and game presentation elements designed to take fans back to the Charlotte Coliseum of the late 1980s and 1990s.
Charlotte Hornets 2018-19 Classic Night Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time | Giveaway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 17 | Milwaukee Bucks | 7 p.m. | Opening Night T-Shirt |
| Nov. 17 | Philadelphia 76ers | 7 p.m. | 30th Anniversary Team T-Shirt |
| Dec. 14 | New York Knicks | 7 p.m. | Muggsy Bogues Bobblehead |
| Dec. 28 | Brooklyn Nets | 7 p.m. | Steve Martin Talking Bobblehead |
| Jan. 19 | Phoenix Suns | 5 p.m. | Glen Rice 1997 All-Star MVP Bobblehead |
| Feb. 27 | Houston Rockets | 7 p.m. | Hornets Fanny Pack |
| Mar. 8 | Washington Wizards | 7 p.m. | Larry Johnson Bobblehead |
| Mar. 23 | Boston Celtics | 6 p.m. | Commemorative T-Shirts |
Tickets for all eight Classic Night games can be purchased together as part of the Classic Plan, which is on sale now and features lower-level seating, the same seats for each game and playoff priority.
Swarm365 Memberships and Pick 23 Plans for the 2018-19 season are also available. Swarm365 Memberships start at $48 per game on average in the lower level and as low as $12 per game on average in the upper level, and members receive some of the best benefits in all of professional sports. The Pick 23 Plan includes Opening Night and 22 additional games of the purchaser’s choice, starting at $14 per game on average. For more information, call 704.HORNETS or visit hornets.com/tickets.
