Former Notre Dame forward Donald Royal was selected in the third round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the time, the draft lasted seven rounds and was later changed to a two-round event in 1989. After bouncing around between the NBA teams, CBA teams and overseas teams, Royal earned an extended opportunity with Orlando, spending 288 games with the Magic from 1993 to 1996 before being traded to the Golden State Warriors.
After 36 games in Golden State, the Warriors traded Royal to the Hornets in exchange for small forward Scott Burrell. Following the move, Royal would play in 54 games for Charlotte across two separate stints, averaging 2.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.3 steals in 11.6 minutes per game. In 504 career
contests over eight seasons, Royal finished with career averages of 6.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, one assist and 0.5 steals.
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This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Charlotte Hornets jersey history No. 5 Donald Royal 1996-1998
