The Charlotte Hornets have had plenty of solid teams throughout its 33 years of existence thus far. Even then, the NBA's schedule-makers have not yet deemed them worthy of a slot in the league's much-awaited Christmas Day slate of games. That fact won't be changing in the 2023-24 season, and it's quite unclear when the Hornets will either be good or marketable enough to play a game on December 25.

In fact, the Hornets are the only team in league history not to have played a game yet on Christmas, according to the NBA on ESPN Twitter account. They will be extending their drought to 34 years when Christmas day comes and goes in around four months' time.

During this day and age, it's almost a guarantee that there will be five games on December 25 featuring some of the league's serious contenders as well as the league's big-market teams. The Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Golden State Warriors are all shoo-ins for inclusion, as the league tries to draw as many eyeballs as possible to their slate of games during one of the most celebrated holidays in the world.

Thus, the Hornets' exclusion over the years isn't exactly a surprise. They haven't exactly been a contending franchise over the past 20 years, making the postseason just thrice since the franchise's resurrection in 2004, and Charlotte hasn't exactly been the home to one of the NBA's most marketable superstars.

It's also a bit of a shame that during the Hornets franchise's heyday from 1994 to 1998, only four teams played a game on Christmas day. The league's decision to hold just two games on Christmas during that time only served to reduce the odds for their inclusion in the holiday festivities.

Nevertheless, Hornets fans must not fret, for if things go according to plan in their rebuild, they could end up being an entertaining enough team that the league cannot exclude them from the Christmas day slate. With LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller leading the way, the Hornets should field an electric enough product on the court to at least draw the league office's attention. And who knows? Maybe they snap their drought soon.