Feb. 25, 2026, 7:26 p.m. ET
If you’re an avid NBA fan, particularly of the Charlotte Hornets, then you know a former Tar Heel is now in the Queen City.
Coby White, an integral part of the 2019 UNC basketball squad that won the ACC Regular Season title – and later advanced to the Sweet 16 – is now a crucial part of North Carolina’s lone NBA squad. The Hornets (28-31) acquired White via a trade with the Chicago Bulls, where White rose to stardom for his first six-and-a-half professional season, but a calf injury delayed his Charlotte debut.
After a 3-week absence, White finally donned the Hornets purple on Tuesday night. In 16 minutes of a 131-99 victory, coincidentally against the Bulls, White scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting (2-of-4 on 3-pointers), while dishing out four assists, grabbing three rebounds and stealing the basketball once.
During his postgame interview, White spoke on what it meant returning to the court – and playing back in his home state.
“I think it was just a lot of emotions going on – and I was happy to be back out there,” White said via The Charlotte Observer’s Rod Boone. “I just didn’t realize. It felt good coming out. I felt like I was, I still play with a lot of speed. It felt good.”
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White moved from a Chicago (24-35) squad, one that is rapidly falling out of the playoff picture with a 10-game losing streak, to a young, exciting Charlotte squad on the cusp of its first NBA Postseason appearance since 2016.
Playing alongside young stars like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Kon Kneuppel, White adds another star to that mix. Will the former Tar Heel help the Hornets achieve something they haven’t in a decade?
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