The 1988–89 Charlotte Hornets season was Charlotte's inaugural season in the National Basketball Association. The Hornets, along with the Miami Heat, began play as expansion teams during the 1988–89 season. The team revealed a new primary logo of a hornet bouncing a basketball, and got new pinstripe uniforms, adding teal to their color scheme. The Hornets received the eighth overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected Rex Chapman from the University of Kentucky.