Tag: Leaky Black

Leaky Black’s time with Charlotte Hornets comes to end

Leaky Black’s dream of playing for his hometown Charlotte Hornets came to a bittersweet end on Thursday, August 1.

There was hope that when Leaky Black’s time at North Carolina was up after the 2022-2023 season, he would be highly-sought after amongst NBA teams.

Black enjoyed a solid offensive jump during his COVID season, averaging a career-high 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, but that isn’t enough to be a consistent starter in today’s NBA.

Despite his prowess as a defensive ace, Black signed a 2-way deal with his hometown Charlotte Hornets – after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent most of last season with Charlotte’s G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, but appeared in 26 NBA games (three starts) – averaging 2.7 points in 10.7 minutes per game.

Black played Summer League ball with the Hornets again this summer. Unfortunately, that was his last time (for now) in Charlotte, as the Hornets released him on Thursday, Aug. 1.

If you follow the NBA, you’ll know Charlotte is one of the worst teams in the league. The Hornets, however, enjoyed a strong 7-1 Summer League – and are giving 2-way contracts to rookie KJ Simpson and Moussa Diabate instead.

If teams were looking at Black because of his defense alone, Black would be an easy first-round pick. As a Tar Heel, Black was typically assigned to the opposition’s top scorer.

There isn’t a lot of defense in today’s NBA, though, with some of the highest-ever point totals coming in the past couple seasons.

I’m sure another team will pick up Black, whether in the NBA, overseas or somewhere else in the Americas. After all, a player with Black’s caliber of defense is a rare find in today’s game – and defense wins championships.

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Former Tar Heel Leaky Black featured in Charlotte Hornets’ NBA Summer League highlights

It’s safe to say that Leaky Black is enjoying his time with the Charlotte Hornets.

Leaky Black is arguably one of the best all-around basketball players to ever don a UNC uniform.

Black played at North Carolina for five seasons (2018-2023), carving out a name for himself as a defensive standout, a title that was apparent by being name a 2-time member of the ACC’s All-Defensive Team.

Roy Williams and Hubert Davis typically put Black on the opposition’s best shooter or offensive creator, with his goal the ability to heavily influence a game’s outcome.

As Black developed throughout his Tar Heels career, he added a solid shooting touch to his arsenal. Black never averaged more than 7.3 points per game in a single season, with that total coming in his 2022-2023 COVID year, but you could still count on him for decent scoring production.

When Black’s time at UNC ended, he signed a 2-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets. Despite spending most of last season with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate, Black played 26 NBA games.

Black was also part of Charlotte’s Summer League team the past two seasons, with 2024 being a strong summer in particular at 7-1. Black played in five of the Hornets’ eight contests, averaging three points, four rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

In the Hornets’ summer league highlights recap video, which they posted to Instagram on Thursday, July 25, you’ll see Black several times throughout.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C92mjbuJQ0Y/

I hope Charlotte decides to keep Black at the NBA level, but if he’d rather the route to more playing time, Greensboro might be the better option.

With both cities being just 90 minutes from each other, though, don’t be surprised to see Black bouncing back and forth.

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Leaky Black playing in NBA Summer League for second-straight year

Leaky Black was named to the Charlotte Hornets Summer League roster for 2024.

Former North Carolina Tar Heels standout Leaky Black went undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft but earned the opportunity to impress the coaching staff during the annual Summer League.

And now in 2024, he will get that chance again.

Black was named to the Charlotte Hornets Summer League roster this week as they prepare to head to Vegas to participate later in July. He’s one of 20 players on the Summer League roster which includes lottery pick Brandon Miller from the 2023 NBA draft as well. This is a good opportunity for Black to showcase his skill set and hopefully impress the team to earn some more playing time moving forward.

In 2023-24, Black appeared in 26 games averaging 2.7 points, and 1.8 rebounds per game. He shot 48.1 percent from the field for the Hornets.

The Hornets will open up play in the California Classic Summer League this weekend for three games. They will then head to Las Vegas for the NBA2K25 Summer League with four games scheduled, plus the chance for more if they advance.

Black spent five seasons with North Carolina, helping lead them to a Final Four appearance in 2022.

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Leaky Black makes first career NBA start on Monday night

Leaky Black spent five years entertaining UNC basketball fans. He got the chance of a lifetime in the NBA on Monday, Feb. 5.

Odds are, every young athlete’s dream is to play their sport at the highest possible level.

Nowadays, you’ll see kids eating, sleeping and breathing sports. This means sacrificing time at home for travel sports, spending their rare free time watching collegiate players or the pros and – to further improve their skill sets, train with the best.

The young athlete I’m writing about in this story is Leaky Black, the former 5-year UNC basketball player who is now a member of the Charlotte Hornets.

Black originally signed a 2-way contract with Charlotte on July 19 last year, meaning he splits time with the Hornets and their G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

He’s been playing with Charlotte regularly and – on Monday night, started an NBA game for the first time.

Black did a little bit of everything in the Hornets’ 125-119 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night – scoring two points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out two assists in 16 minutes.

This move likely isn’t permanent, but was needed with Charlotte having three guards (LaMelo Ball, Cody Martin, Frank Ntilikina) listed on the injury report.

Having a versatile guard-forward like Black to count on, though, will certainly benefit a young, struggling Hornets team in the immediate future.

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Leaky Black helps seal win for Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets forward Leaky Black made a big impact in the team’s win over Minnesota on Monday night.

Former North Carolina Tar Heel standout Leaky Black has made an impact with the Charlotte Hornets and on Monday, it helped result in a road win.

Despite a big game from Karl-Anthony Towns, the Hornets managed to pull off the win on the road at Minnesota. With a 126-125 lead late in the fourth quarter, Black blocked a drive by Towns that would have given them the lead.

He was then fouled with 1.7 seconds left and went to the line to make both free throws for the 128-125 lead and eventual win.

Black hasn’t played much this season, appearing in just 12 games for the Hornets, averaging 5.3 minutes per game. During those appearances, he’s averaged 1.7 points per game while shooting 61.5 percent from the field.

The good news is that when he got the chance to make a play in a big game on Monday, he made the most of it to help his team get a win.

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Leaky Black shows off hops in Thursday night G-League action

Leaky Black became known for his lockdown defensive abilities for the UNC men’s basketball team. In the G-League, he’s dunking with ease.

When you think of past UNC basketball players who exemplify “The Carolina Way,” who are some people that come to mind?

For me, one of the most recent is Leaky Black, the Concord, N.C. native who played at Carolina from 2018-2023. Black was primarily known as a lockdown defender, but added a solid 3-point shooting touch to his arsenal during the 2022-2023 campaign.

It’s always sad to see a Carolina staple leave, but not when that player is continuing their hoops career.

For Leaky, he is living a dream that any young basketball player desires – suiting up for an NBA team. Better yet, Leaky is playing for his hometown Charlotte Hornets.

Black is currently on a 2-way contract with Charlotte, suiting for its G-League affiliate Greensboro Swarm. If he hasn’t captured the organization’s attention already, wait until you see this thunderous dunk he throws down:

Despite Black ending his night with 13 points and eight rebounds, the Swarm were overpowered in a 139-107 loss at the Capital City Go-Go, G-League affiliate of the Washington Wizards. Black’s point output was above his season average of 11.6.

I miss the days of watching Leaky steal a basketball with ease, sprinting up the court and throwing the ball down. If he keeps making highlight-reel slams like the one in the above video, he’ll be back up in Charlotte long before the season ends.

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Amari Bailey scores 26 points, Leaky Black nears triple-double in G League debuts

Hornets rookies Amari Bailey and Leaky Black debuted in the G League on Friday and led the Swarm to their first win.

Charlotte Hornets rookies Amari Bailey and Leaky Black debuted in the G League on Friday and helped lead the Greensboro Swarm to their first win of the season.

Bailey produced a game-high 26 points, six assists, three assists, one steal and one block on 10-of-20 shooting from the field in the 108-82 victory over the Raptors 905. Black recorded 12 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 28 minutes. He went 4-of-6 from the field.

Bailey and Black made their presence known off the bench, and both were productive during their time on the court. They filled the stat sheet and the highlight reel for the Swarm.

The two players, who are signed to two-way contracts, were assigned to the Swarm on Friday afternoon. Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward and Brandon Miller returned to the Hornets’ lineup on Friday, and the team opted to send Bailey and Black to the G League for playing time.

Now that the Hornets are getting healthier, Bailey and Black will likely suit up more for the Swarm. They play their next four games at home within the next week, including another matchup against the 905 on Saturday, so they should see more minutes.

The organization valued the additions of Bailey and Black and is likely eager to see how they develop in the G League. They have shown what they can provide in a small sample size and should continue to improve with more minutes.

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Nine former UNC Basketball players on 2023-2024 NBA rosters

The NBA is well-represented by former Tar Heels, with nine suiting up across seven teams. The newest professional Tar Heel is Leaky Black.

NBA fans, sing your praises – the regular season is finally upon us.

Opening night kicked off on Tuesday, Oct. 24, with Lakers-Nuggets and Suns-Warriors giving fans an appetizer. There will be a full slate of games tonight, highlighted by Celtics-Knicks and Mavericks-Spurs, plus more to come throughout the weekend.

Tar Heel fans are highly anticipating the UNC season opener on Monday, Nov. 6 against Radford, but there’s good reason for them to also be excited about the NBA.

Nine former Tar Heels – Leaky Black, Cole Anthony, Day’Ron Sharpe, Harrison Barnes, Danny Green, Nassir Little, Coby White, Cam Johnson and Reggie Bullock – are on NBA rosters.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyzMY5zsFVw/?hl=en

A couple of them are starting, a few are valuable role players while one is a rookie.

Let’s take a deeper look at each former Tar Heel and how long they’ve been in the NBA for. Will any of them walk away with another championship?

Leaky Blacks talks about teaming up with Brandon Miller

Former Tar Heel Leaky Black discusses teaming up with Brandon Miller during Charlotte Hornets media day.

NBA teams have kicked off their media day, and many feature some former Tar Heels, one being Charlotte Hornets’ [autotag]Leaky Black[/autotag].

Despite going undrafted, Black still put ink to paper for an NBA contract, signing a two-way deal with the Charlotte Hornets. Black, known for his ability to defend, slowly became a reliable three-point shooter, translating into a perfect 3-D NBA player.

There is much buzz surrounding the Hornets, announcing their new sponsor deal with Mr. Beast and the anticipation of second overall pick Brandon Miller. Yes, the same Miller who Black held to 14 points on 4 for 21 shooting in the quadruple overtime loss to Alabama a season ago.

In media day fashion, Black was asked how it was teaming up with the player he held in check a season ago.

Black will likely spend some time with the Hornets G-league affiliate Greensboro Swarm, often the route most of their rookies go.

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Leaky Black sporting #12 with hometown Hornets

Leaky Black, who emerged as one of the best defensive players in UNC basketball history, will wear number 12 in his first professional year.

Leaky Black made a name for himself at UNC as one of college basketball’s premier defenders over the past several years.

He was typically assigned the opposition’s top scorer, frustrating them into rushed shots or – even better for the Tar Heels – turnovers.

Black added perimeter shooting to his arsenal during the 2022-2023 campaign, his final in Tar Heel blue, which helped a Carolina team that typically tends to struggle from outside. Black ended his collegiate career playing in a record 155 games for UNC, starting 130 of them.

Luckily for Black, he was one of the select few who got to continue his career into the NBA. Earlier this summer, Black signed a two-way deal with his hometown Charlotte Hornets. He grew up in Concord, N.C. and, before playing at Montverde Academy, tore up the courts at Concord and Cox Mill High School, leading the latter to the 2018 NCHSAA 3A state championship.

Just yesterday, Black was assigned his first jersey number for the Hornets – 12.

It remains to be seen how much playing time Black sees in his first NBA season, but he’ll likely see the court a lot more now, as Kelly Oubre Jr. recently signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Oubre mainly started at small forward – which Black played at UNC – for the Hornets last year.

In an NBA where 100-point games are commonplace, Black’s skillset will be especially useful. The Hornets allowed opponents to score the ninth-most points per game last year, while they sported the second-worst 3-point shooting percentage.

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