Charlotte Hornets to bring Bobby Phills' retired jersey back home
As the Charlotte Hornets team image returns to the NBA this season, they'll also re-hang the retired No. 13 jersey of the late Bobby Phills.
By
Zach Harper
•
2 min read
The Charlotte Bobcats have shed their orange and feline image for good and are adopting the once popular Charlotte Hornets image. After the franchise moved from Charlotte to New Orleans in 2002, the Bobcats were the 30th team allowed into the league in the 2004-05 season. Last season, the New Orleans Hornets became the New Orleans Pelicans, leaving the Hornets' mascot and team name up for grabs. Michael Jordan and his franchise snatched it up right away to bring the buzz back to Charlotte.
As part of getting reacquainted with the Hornets' roots, the team announced on Thursday their plan to re-hang the retired No. 13 jersey of the late Bobby Phills, who played for the Hornets franchise from 1997 to 2000 when he was killed in an automobile accident. The Hornets will raise the jersey into the rafters on November 1 in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. From the Hornets:
The Charlotte Hornets announced today that the team will honor the late Bobby Phills and re-hang his retired No. 13 jersey in a halftime ceremony during its game against Memphis on Saturday, Nov. 1. The jersey was originally raised to the rafters on Feb. 9, 2000, following Phills’ passing a month earlier.
“During the process of bringing the Hornets name back to Charlotte, one of the most important elements to us was to once again honor the retired jersey of Bobby Phills,” said Hornets President & COO Fred Whitfield. “It is our responsibility to appropriately recognize the legacy of a man who impacted so many people with his contributions both on and off the basketball court.”
The halftime ceremony, which will include members of the Phills family and several of Phills’ former Charlotte Hornets teammates, will feature a video and remarks on behalf of the family and the organization before the No. 13 jersey once again resumes its place as the lone retired number in Hornets history.
Phills' jersey was the first to be retired by the Hornets' franchise back in 2000. He died in January 2000 when his speeding car was struck after losing control and spinning into oncoming traffic. He was traveling behind teammate David Wesley, who was cleared of a racing charge and convicted of reckless driving.
Phills played nine seasons in the NBA, the first six coming with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 467 career games. In 133 games (113 started) with the Hornets, he averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
