New 76er, ex-Hornet Kelly Oubre: ‘I’ve come from teams where they have no hope’

Kelly Oubre Jr. isn’t the type to bite his tongue. He’s going to speak mind freely, and that didn’t change in his new locale.

After spending two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, the swingman signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia last month. He made it clear he’s thrilled to be in a winning situation, which wasn’t necessarily the case in Charlotte.

“Honestly, this team wins every year, right?” Oubre told reporters this week. “The fan base wants them to win more, but I’ve come from teams where they have no hope. Like, zero hope within the whole city. And this is not that at all. So, I appreciate this fan base, man for being so hard on the team and wanting to see greatness because they deserve it.

“The organization gives its players the platform to do so with everything around us. So, it’s night and day from what I’ve been to, and I’m going to just take advantage of it, soak it all in, and take it day by day.”

Oubre was a versatile piece with the Hornets and posted career bests in points (20.3) and steals (1.4) last season. Throughout his time in Charlotte, Oubre made it clear more than once to The Observer that he really wanted to stay with the organization, suggesting it was a perfect marriage in part because he felt a personal connection to the Carolinas given part of his family roots were tied to the region.

But with the team loaded at the wing position after Miles Bridges’ return and the drafting of Brandon Miller, there was no room for Oubre, forcing him to head elsewhere. He eventually landed with the 76ers, joining a team that has plenty of drama surrounding it with James Harden showing up to training camp in Colorado after reportedly vowing to stay away until he got traded.

Philadelphia is Oubre’s fifth stop. He began his career in Washington before stints with Phoenix and Golden State, and he hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2018.

“I don’t want to bash any other organizations out there, but I’ve been on a couple of teams in my career and this is the most well-oiled machine that I’ve been to,” Oubre said. “It’s my first time actually sitting at a press conference table with this many people and, it’s a culture shock for real. But at the end of the day, I’m ready to adapt.”