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The Return of the “Hornets” to Charlotte
On May 21, 2013, Jordan officially announced the organization had submitted an application to change the name of the franchise to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014 – 2015 NBA season, pending a majority vote for approval by the NBA Board of Governors at a meeting in Las Vegas on July 18, 2013. The NBA announced, on July 18, 2013, that it had unanimously approved the rebranding, which would begin upon the conclusion of the 2013 – 2014 season. The Bobcats announced on November 22 they would adopt a modified version of the original Hornets’ teal-purple-white color palette, with black, gray and Carolina blue as accents. The team officially unveiled its future logo and identity scheme during halftime of their December 21 game against the Jazz. The team also started the “Buzz City” campaign to hype up the Hornets return.
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Bobcats changed their name to the Hornets
To restate and clarify a confusing series of events: after the 2002 season, the original Hornets moved to New Orleans. In 2004, Charlotte was granted a new franchise, the Bobcats. After the 2013 – 2014 season, the Bobcats changed their name to the Hornets and reclaimed the history and records of the 1988 – 2002 Hornets. As a result, the Hornets are now retconned as having suspended operations from 2002 to 2004, while the Pelicans are now retconned as having joined the league in 2002 as an expansion team.
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member club of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team is largely owned by former NBA player Michael Jordan, who acquired controlling interest in the team in 2010. The Hornets play their home games at the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte.
Established
2004
City
Charlotte
League History
2004 – Present / National Basketball Association
Team History
2014 – Present / Charlotte Hornets
2004 – 2013 / Charlotte Bobcats
Nickname
Hornets – In 2014, Charlotte Bobcats reclaimed their original name of “Hornets”. The New Orleans Hornets had changed their name to the “Pelicans”. The name was derived from the city’s fierce resistance to British occupation during the Revolutionary War, which prompted the British commander, Lord Cornwallis, to refer to it as “a veritable nest of hornets.”
Championship
NBA Championships 0
Arena
2017 – Present / Spectrum Center
2008 – 2016 / Time Warner Cable Arena
2005 – 2008 / Charlotte Bobcats Arena
2004 – 2005 / Charlotte Coliseum
Owner
2010 – Present / Michael Jordan
2004 – 2010 / Robert L. Johnson
Retired Number
13 Bobby Phills
*Blue is this team’s history