The Hornets head into Tuesday’s NBA play-in home game against the Heat at Spectrum Center “coming off a record-setting season for ticket sales and attendance,” according to Erik Spanberg of the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL. The Hornets finished the regular season at 44-38. Over 41 home dates, the Hornets “increased attendance by 9% over the previous year,” leading to average home crowds of 18,715 per game at 19,444-capacity Spectrum Center, up from 17,169 in 2024-25. The league-wide average was 18,108 per game. The team ranked 12th in average home attendance. On a season-long, cumulative basis, the franchise’s 767,319 fans in 2025-26 was last eclipsed in 1997-98. Hornets CRO & CBO Mike Behan mentioned that the Hornets’ record-setting 15-game sellout streak will “certainly be extended to 16” for the play-in game. Behan said that a “more analytical sales approach set the Hornets up to take full advantage of an improved team on the court.” The Spectrum Center renovation, which finished in October, “allowed for a concessions makeover and created new social gathering areas on the concourse” -- steps that “align with more intricate fare and, in turn, higher prices.” Behan said that the team has been “able to respond faster to fan likes and dislikes with more frequent and better-focused game-day surveys.” The Hornets sold out 25 of 41 regular season home games in 2025-26, setting a record for Spectrum Center, which opened in 2005 (CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/14).
BACK AGAIN: USA TODAY’s Mark Giannotto wrote as the Hornets began to win this season, an “entire fan base began to re-emerge.” Hornets pregame host Kyle Bailey said, “The Hornets are this city’s first love. It was the first pro sports franchise in the city. … This is without a doubt the most connected people have been to this team in a long time.” This appears to be the “beginning of the organization’s rise” under new ownership. Only one player in the Hornets’ starting lineup is older than 24 years old and they are all under contract at least through next season (USA TODAY, 4/14).
