The name was derived from the city's fierce nuts British occupation during the Revolutionary War, which prompted the British commander, Lord Cornwallis, to refer to it as "a veritable hornet's nest of rebellion". Originally, the new team was going to be called the Charlotte Spirit, but a name-the-team contest yielded "Hornets" as the winning choice. Franchises were also granted to Miami, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and Orlando. On April 5, 1987, NBA Commissioner David Stern called Shinn to tell him that his group had been awarded the 24th franchise of the NBA, to begin play in 1988. Some critics doubted that Charlotte could support an NBA team one Sacramento Bee columnist joked, "The only franchise Charlotte is going to get is one with golden arches." However, Shinn's ace in the hole was the Charlotte Coliseum, a state-of-the-art arena under construction that would seat almost 24,000 spectators – the largest basketball-specific arena ever to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team. Charlotte was also one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, and was previously one of the three in-state regional homes to the American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars, from 1969 to 1974. Smith, had large and loyal fan bases in the city. The Atlantic Coast Conference's four North Carolina teams, as well as local teams UNC Charlotte, Davidson, and Johnson C. The Charlotte area had long been a hotbed for college basketball. George Shinn, an entrepreneur from Kannapolis, North Carolina, wanted to bring an NBA team to the Charlotte area, and he assembled a group of prominent local businessmen to head the prospective franchise. In 1985, the NBA, then at 23 teams, was planning to expand by four teams by the 1988–1989 season. 1988–2002: Original Charlotte Hornets/George Shinn era 1985–1988: Birth of the Hornets In 2010, Basketball Hall-of-Famer Michael Jordan took over majority ownership of the franchise, and in 2014, Jordan's team re-adopted the Charlotte Hornets name after the previous New Orleans Hornets became the Pelicans.ĭuring the 2017-18 season, four-time All-Star Kemba Walker became Charlotte's all-time leading scorer, surpassing original Hornet Dell Curry.The purpose of this project is to collect all of the Geni profiles of those who were involved with the original Charlotte Hornets franchise of the National Basketball League. Johnson, the first African-American majority owner of a team in one of the four major sports. Even with seven playoff appearances in those 10 years, owner George Shinn moved the franchise to New Orleans in 2002.īut the NBA returned to Charlotte for the 2004-05 season with the expansion Bobcats, led by owner Robert L. The original Charlotte Hornets franchise joined the NBA in 1988, and, thanks to players such as Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, and Kendall Gill (and, later, Glen Rice, Anthony Mason, and Jamal Mashburn), enjoyed substantial success in the decade starting with the 1992-93 season. Team Colors: Teal, Dark Purple, Gray, White The Charlotte Hornets embark on their 18th season at Spectrum Center (formerly known as Time Warner Cable Arena and Charlotte Bobcats Arena), the crescent-shaped venue boasting expansive concourses and welcoming galleries with artwork unique to the Carolinas.
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