Which Former Charlotte Hornets Are Playing in Europe? How Are They Doing?

While the Charlotte Hornets are enjoying one of their most convincing campaigns in years, the ghosts of leaner seasons are scattered across gyms from Tel Aviv to Dubai, Barcelona to Belgrade. A league-wide audit shows 22 former Hornets on European contracts this winter; trimming the list to players with at least 20 NBA appearances still leaves a fascinating nine-man snapshot of life after Buzz City.

Spain’s Dreamland Gran Canaria has become the latest stop for 24-year-old swingman McKinley Wright. After 32 ACB games he is averaging 12.5 points and 1.7 assists, but a 28.4 % clip from deep suggests the jump shot that deserted him in Lithuania has yet to return.

In Romania, Nate Mensah’s 7-foot-4 wingspan is only appearing sporadically for U-BT Cluj-Napoca. The 25-year-old big man logged 15 early-season outings (5.3 pts, 6.1 reb) before being shelved in late November; teammate Jeffery Taylor, once a Bobcats second-rounder, is wrapping up a decorated European career with 3.0 points in 13 minutes a night for the same club.

Dubai BC’s roster reads like a Charlotte reunion. Davis Bertans, traded to the Hornets in February 2024, is back to launching deep balls in the UAE—when healthy. A two-month injury layoff has limited the Latvian to 25 games at 7.9 points, but the green light remains. Joining him is high-usage scorer Dwayne Bacon, who parlayed 44 games into 15.3 points on 12.2 shots per night, though his 40.6 % accuracy underscores the efficiency questions that have followed him since his NBA exit.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean, Vasilije Micic has settled at Hapoel Tel Aviv after a dizzying 2025 offseason that saw him traded twice, bought out, and finally lured to Israel by EuroLeague title aspirations. Through 31 contests the Serbian guard is contributing 12.1 points and 4.4 assists—solid, if secondary, numbers behind back-court partner Elijah Bryant.

Turkey’s Anadolu Efes leans on another ex-Hornet for front-court stability. Kai Jones, the high-flyer whose off-court headlines once outnumbered his minutes, has quietly become the most accurate shooter in European competition this season: 91-of-94 inside the arc for a surreal 96.8 % field-goal percentage. His per-game output (4.2 pts, 3.7 reb) is modest, but the efficiency is historic.

Willy Hernangómez never needed the NBA to validate his résumé. The Spanish center, Charlotte’s lone native son during his 200-game Hornets tenure, is now a rotation pillar for Barcelona, averaging 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in 55 games and still flashing the post craft that made him a fan favorite.

The list’s most intriguing case may be Devonte’ Graham. Once the Hornets’ starting point guard, Graham signed with Red Star Belgrade in July but a preseason injury cost him three months. Thirteen uneven games (4.0 pts, 1.2 ast) later, the two sides parted ways in January; the 31-year-old is currently a free agent searching for his next European home.

Finally, Italian side Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia believes it found a hidden gem in JT Thor. The 23-year-old forward, nicknamed “God of Thunder” by Hornets broadcaster Eric Collins, is thriving as a sixth man: 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and an eye-opening 38.3 % from three. The sample is small—19 games—and a recent 3-of-18 slump has cooled the hype, yet Thor’s youth and two-way flashes make him the most plausible candidate for an eventual NBA return.

Of the nearly two-dozen ex-Hornets dotting Europe’s map, only Thor appears to possess the age-and-skill combination that could entice an NBA front office come summer. For the rest, the comforts of EuroLeague paychecks, domestic-title chases, and starring roles overseas have replaced the uncertainty that defined their Charlotte days—proof that even when the Buzz fades, the game goes on.