Jarkel Joiner is back in the NBA mix, and this time the path runs through Charlotte.
The former NC State guard has signed with the Hornets on an Exhibit 10 contract, with Charlotte waiving guard Kyle Mangas in the corresponding move. For Joiner, it’s another crack at the league after years of grinding through Summer League stints, training-camp deals and steady work in the G League.
Charlotte is hardly a new stop. The Hornets were one of the first NBA teams to take a serious look at Joiner after his senior year in Raleigh, bringing him in for a pre-draft workout in May 2023. He was one of six players invited that day, fresh off one of the strongest individual seasons a Wolfpack guard has put together in recent memory.
Joiner’s lone season at NC State came in 2022-23, after earlier stops at Cal State Bakersfield and Ole Miss. He quickly became a key piece for Kevin Keatts, averaging 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while earning Second Team All-ACC honors.
His best moment in Raleigh came on February 14, 2023, when he posted a triple-double against Syracuse with 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. It was the fifth triple-double in NC State history, and Joiner became just the fourth player in program history to do it. The names on that list say plenty: Julius Hodge, Dennis Smith Jr (twice)., Markell Johnson… Jarkel Joiner.
Even with that résumé, he went undrafted. Atlanta gave him a shot next, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract and opening a door to training camp and the G League.
Joiner spent the next two seasons with the College Park Skyhawks and made sure he was noticed. In March 2025, he dropped 38 points on Westchester and buried 10 of 14 from three-point range.
That kind of shooting became a defining part of his pro game. In his second G League season, Joiner raised his three-point percentage from 27.7% to 35.7% while averaging 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 32 games.
That improvement led to another Summer League look, this time with Toronto. The Raptors selected him for their Summer League roster in the summer of ’25 and signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract in September 2025 before waiving him.
Toronto had also acquired his G League returning rights from College Park, which gave him a route to keep playing with Raptors 905. Joiner did just that, spending the ’25-26 season with Toronto’s G League team and averaging 11.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
After that, he moved on to the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League and made an immediate impression, scoring 21 points and shooting nearly 40% from 3.
Now he’s back in North Carolina with a Hornets team in the middle of a roster overhaul. The Exhibit 10 deal keeps him in the G League pipeline, with the hope of eventually landing a two-way opportunity. For Joiner, it’s another hard-earned chance - and one that puts him back in front of a fan base that already knows exactly what he can do.
In Other News...
Jakobi Meyers Is Closing In On Major NC State NFL History
Jakobi Meyers has spent seven seasons carving out a place in the NFL that few undrafted receivers ever reach, and the former NC State standout is now stacking up numbers that put him in rare company from both angles. Through 7 seasons, he has 468 catches for 5,427 yards and 23 touchdowns, production that already has him 20th all-time among undrafted players in receiving yards while also putting him near the top of the Wolfpacks NFL record books.
For NC State fans, the broader significance is easy to see: Meyers is no longer just a nice success story, but one of the programs most productive pass catchers at the pro level. With his recent performance keeping him on that trajectory, the next question is how high he can climb among former Wolfpack receivers and where he ultimately lands on the broader list of undrafted NFL wideouts. [Read more 🡒]
NC States NFL Pipeline Looks Better Than Some ACC Fans Realize
NC States professional footprint is bigger than it sometimes gets credit for, with 18 former players on NFL rosters right now. That total puts the Wolfpack tied for 28th nationally and fourth among ACC programs, a useful reminder that Raleigh has been sending more than a few players to Sundays even as the broader college football conversation often overlooks it.
The deeper look at the league map shows a steady spread of former Pack players across positions and teams, the kind of presence that speaks to more than just one star here or there. It also includes alumni who have already stacked up Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition, which only sharpens the case that NC States pipeline is not a fleeting talking point but a real part of its football identity. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Faces The Kind Of FCS Test Fans Never Trust
There are plenty of reasons for NC State to treat Richmond like more than a routine nonconference opponent when the teams meet Sept. 11. This series goes back to 1895 and will reach its 20th game, with the Wolfpack holding an 18-1-1 edge, but Richmond has long been one of the more respected FCS programs in the country, with a national championship and multiple conference titles on its rsum.
For NC State fans, the unease comes from the familiar shape of these games. Richmond has already shown it can handle business early this season, and any FCS team with that kind of track record brings a level of danger that never feels comfortable in Raleigh. The Wolfpack know the history is heavily on their side, but the kind of test that usually gets remembered is the one that stays close deep into the fourth quarter. [Read more 🡒]