Charlotte Hornets Odds To Win NBA Championship In 2026

Charlotte Hornets Odds to Win NBA Championship and More

Injuries derailed the Hornets’ 2024–25 season, ending with a 19–63 record and little rhythm. Now healthy, Brandon Miller leads a retooled roster under Charles Lee, who’s focused on turning growth into real progress.

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Can the Charlotte Hornets Win the NBA Championship?

Yes, we are only in December, and every NBA team has a chance to win the championship at this point. But the Hornets are long shots with +200000 odds. Charlotte has hovered near Play-In range in recent years, and with improved health and veteran leadership, this group could finally make a push into postseason contention, and potentially beyond.

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Will the Hornets Win the NBA Championships in 2025-26?

The Hornets will likely not win the NBA Championship in 2025–26, as they remain a team in rebuild. However, as Charlotte continues to build around its young core, the season brings a stronger supporting cast. The additions of key veterans provide experience and stability to a roster that has lacked both in recent years, raising hopes that the Hornets will be much improved this season.

Charlotte Hornets NBA Championship Odds Change Over Time

The Hornets opened the 2025–26 season with a win at home against the Brooklyn Nets, but have lost seven of their last ten.

Who’s Favored to Win the NBA Championship In 2026?

The Oklahoma City Thunder is currently favored to win the 2025-26 NBA Championship. They are listed with +120 odds at DraftKings NC, giving them an implied probability of 45.6% to win the title.

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Offseason Updates Impacting Charlotte Hornets Championship Odds

• 📅 July 13, 2025: Charlotte signs G Spencer Dinwiddie and F Mason Plumlee. Re-signs G Tre Mann.
• 📅 June 29, 2025: The Hornets acquire draft rights to F Liam NcNeeley, a No. 29 pick in the 2025 draft, a 2029 first-round draft pick and G Vasa Micic from Phoenix in exchange for C Mark Williams and a second-round pick swap in the 2026 draft.
• 📅 June 29, 2025: Charlotte acquires G Collin Sexton and a 2030 second-round pick from Utah in exchange for C Jusuf Nurkić.
• 📅 March 23, 2025: The Hornets are officially eliminated from postseason contention by losing 123-105 to the Miami Heat. 
• 📅 March 11, 2024: Sports betting launches in North Carolina, and NBA betting is now available.
• 📅 May 9, 2024: The Hornets hire former Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee to become their 12th head coach. 
• 📅 March 5, 2024: The Hornets announce Jeff Peterson as the team's new executive VP of basketball operations, replacing Kupchak.
• 📅 Feb. 12, 2024: GM Mitch Kupchak is stepping down as general manager and moving to an advisory role with the team.
• 📅 Nov. 17, 2023: The Hornets agree to a partnership with bet365 NC.  

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When, Where, & How To Watch NBA Championships

• 📅 Date: TBA
• ⏰ Start time: TBA
• 📺 How To Watch: ABC

The NBA Finals will be televised on ABC, with the start date to be announced. The regular season ends on April 12, with the Play-In Tournament taking place from April 14–17 and the playoffs starting on April 18.

Key Contributors on the Hornets Roster

Since being drafted in 2020, LaMelo Ball has been the star point guard carrying the Charlotte Hornets each season. A dynamic playmaker with improved outside shooting, Ball remains the team’s go-to offensive weapon. Forward Brandon Miller provides strong scoring from all three levels, particularly from beyond the arc, while guard Tre Mann adds crucial scoring and ball-handling depth.

New veteran additions Collin Sexton, Pat Connaughton, and Mason Plumlee aim to provide stability and leadership around the young core. Charlotte also added four prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft, highlighted by Duke sharpshooter Kon Knueppel, the No. 4 overall pick, who should help boost the team’s three-point shooting. The Hornets later acquired Liam McNeeley with the 29th pick and selected Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner to further strengthen their depth.

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Hornets Championship History

Founded in 1988 as an expansion team, the Charlotte Hornets quickly gained popularity amongst fans in North Carolina and around the world with their exciting brand of basketball, fun player personalities, and electrifying atmosphere in the Charlotte Coliseum.

Early Hornets teams were led by stars such as Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, and Glen Rice.

Then-owner George Shinn relocated the franchise to New Orleans in 2002 amidst financial troubles, leaving Charlotte without an NBA team. Fortunately, Charlotte did not have to wait long for a new one. In 2004, the NBA awarded Charlotte another expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats.

Despite the franchise stumbling in their first few years, the Bobcats eventually found success under the leadership of then-majority owner Michael Jordan. In 2010, they drafted Kemba Walker, who became the franchise's all-time leading scorer and led the Bobcats to their first playoff appearance in 2014.

In 2014, the Charlotte Bobcats became the Charlotte Hornets once again, and the team playing at the New Orleans Arena was dubbed the Pelicans. Since then, they have yet to capture an NBA title, let alone postseason success. Their last playoff appearance came in 2016, when they lost a grueling, seven-game series with the Miami Heat. 

Led by young, talented high-draft picks in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, the future appears to be bright for a franchise that has yet to win an NBA playoff series since 2002.

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Author

Robert Hayek

@RobertBHayek

Robert B. Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of the Gambling.com Group team. In his spare time, he runs the largest sports meetup group in Orange County, CA, actively participating in every sport imaginable. He is also a published author of five thriller novels, all available on Amazon.