It's hard to believe it, but the Charlotte Hornets haven't won a playoff series since Baron Davis suited up for them.

The former two-time All-Star guard played for the Hornets from 1999 until 2005. Davis was the face of the franchise after the team selected him with the third overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-3 guard led Charlotte to the playoffs during all five full seasons he was with the team, leading them to their last playoff series win in 2002.

Flash forward 23 years later and the Hornets haven't won a playoff series since. Charlotte has the longest current NBA playoff series win drought and the longest postseason appearance drought, with their last one coming during the 2015-16 season.

The Hornets have some key young franchise pieces, including LaMelo Ball, a former All-Star who averaged 25.2 points per game during the 2024-25 season. However, Ball only started 47 games and he was ruled out for the remainder of the season in late March due to two procedures to address ankle and wrist issues.

Ball has only appeared in a combined 105 games over the past three since his All-Star appearance in 2022. The injuries to Ball combined to other key pieces of the team such as Brandon Miller and Tre Mann have played a major role in Charlotte's playoff drought. The Hornets finished with a 19-63 record, the third-worst mark in the NBA.

"For one, they have to be healthy when you're a young team like that," says Davis in a one-on-one interview when asked what they do need to do get things on the right track. "It's important that your chemistry is on and when you look at Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann, all these guys have been hurt over the last year and a half, two seasons.

"It's really derailed their growth as that next young team that could potentially be scary," Davis continues to say. "The next Detroit or Houston as far as talent. I think for the Hornets, they need to get some able bodies and the right combination of veteran leadership to complement their young superstars."

The Hornets have been among the worst teams in the NBA in recent seasons, all coinciding with major injuries to Ball. During the 2023-24 season, Charlotte posted a 21-61 record and during the 2022-23 season, they posted a 27-55 record. For three consecutive years, the Hornets have posted the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. By comparison, they racked up a respectable 43-39 record during the 2021-22 campaign, the last season Ball was healthy.

"We can't really start the process of seeing what you have, where you want to go, setting different goals, until you actually have a full squad, and they've never started and finished the season with the same squad," says Davis.

When asked what the Hornets should do with their No. 4 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Davis says that if he was the general manager, he would be "exploring all options."

"If I was the GM, I'd be exploring all options," says Davis. "I'd be trying to compliment LaMelo Ball with a veteran star or superstar, somebody that can anchor these young guys. With the fourth pick, there's going to be some great talent. But I think the Hornets are in a good position, because they got a lot of really good young talent and really good young talent that has potential. This can be an incredible off season for them where they can align themselves and put the right team together."

While Davis is obviously best known for his 13-year NBA career, he has since made his mark as an entrepreneur. The 46-year-old Davis is making his mark in the business world with "Business Inside The Game," which is a membership community for athletes and entrepreneurs.

Davis will be at the Social Innovation Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday in San Francisco, California and is speaking on stage on Wednesday for "A Future Worth Building: Gamechangers in Action" in session. He'll be speaking to attendees on what it means to drive social impact through entrepreneurship.

"This is the first one that we're collaborating with Business Inside The Game," says Davis. Our platform and our membership concierge is starting to expand into partnerships with social innovation, which is one of the leading platforms in our space."

The former NBA guard has done a few of these events at the Social Innovation Summit and explains why it's important for entrepreneurs or those thinking of becoming one to attend.

"As we start looking at sports and entertainment, things are changing," says Davis. "There's going to be new opportunities and new verticals. When you look at the student athlete, the NIL athlete, professional athletes have more opportunities now to treat themselves as entrepreneurs based on the skills they want to develop and the connections and who they want to be when they grow up."

Davis' biggest advice to young athletes — many who are already business-minded and entrepreneurs during their college careers — is to "invest in yourself."

"Invest in yourself, invest in your education, invest in your skill sets," says Davis. "The same way you would invest in your playing career, some of the things that you want to as an entrepreneur, whatever that industry is, investing your knowledge in that industry. In turn, shadow, find mentors, because that's going to ultimately help you succeed as an entrepreneur."

The former All-Star guard will be launching his app for "Business Inside The Game" this year, which is a concierge for executives, entrepreneurs and investors. He details that through membership in the app, members have special access to events behind the scenes and special activations.

He also is releasing a business-centric podcast in July of the same name as his company. He name drops guests such as Jack Black, Draymond Green and Russell Westbrook's wife, Nina, who is an entrepreneur herself after starring at UCLA as a basketball player.

Davis details how the biggest challenge of being an entrepreneur is the "lonely road" you travel to build your business.

"Just learning how to really run a show," says Davis. "as an entrepreneur, you have to do everything for your business. In sports, you already have a team, you already have an institution and people around you. As an entrepreneur, it's more of a lonely road."