The Hornets are considered one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and they have one of the toughest front lines with P.J. Brown, Jamaal Magloire and Jamal Mashburn.

The Jazz has two of the most productive stars in the league over the past 15 seasons, power forward Karl Malone and point guard John Stockton.

Stockton is the NBA all-time leader in assists (15,177) and steals (3,128). Malone, like Stockton, was chosen by the league as one of its top 50 players in history. Malone is the second-leading all-time scorer in the NBA with 34,707 points.

"I think everybody has been looking forward to this for a very long time," said Brown, who lives in Slidell and has purchased 30 tickets for friends and family tonight. "It's going to be a festive occasion."

A ceremony will be held to retire Pete Maravich's No. 7 jersey, and fans will receive a commemorative ticket. NBA commissioner David Stern will be among the crowd after arriving on a late-night flight from Los Angeles, where he attended the Lakers' opener Tuesday night to give them their championship rings.