Charlotte Bobcats

Lore & Background

The Charlotte Hornets franchise was established in 1988 as an expansion team owned by George Shinn. In 2002, Shinn moved the franchise to New Orleans, where they began play as the New Orleans Hornets, later rebranding as the Pelicans in 2013. The team would return as an expansion team, known as the Charlotte Bobcats, in the 2004–05 NBA season. On June 15, 2006, Michael Jordan acquired a minority stake in the franchise and became its managing member of basketball operations. On February 17, 2010, an ownership group led by Jordan purchased a majority share of the franchise. In 2013, following the rebranding of the New Orleans Hornets to the Pelicans, the Bobcats announced they would begin playing as the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014–15 season, along with reclaiming the history and official records of the original Charlotte Hornets, statistically making the Hornets one continuous NBA team. In August 2023, Jordan sold his majority stake in the Hornets to a group of investors led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. He retained a minority share in the ownership of the team. As of 2026, the Hornets are one of two franchises alongside the New Orleans Pelicans to have never advanced to the conference finals.

Reader's Guide

The Hornets' first NBA game took place on November 4, 1988 at the Charlotte Coliseum, where they lost 133–93 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Four days later, the team notched its first-ever victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, 117–105. On December 23, 1988, the Hornets beat Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 103–101 in Jordan's first return to North Carolina as a professional. The Hornets finished their inaugural season with a record of 20–62. Despite initial concerns that the Coliseum was too big, the Hornets were a runaway hit, leading the NBA in attendance, a feat they would achieve seven more times in Charlotte. Eventually, the Hornets would sell out 364 consecutive games. The team showed improvement during the following seasons, finishing with a 26–56 record in 1990–91, then 31–51 in 1991–92. In 1992–93, the Hornets finished 44–38, their first-ever winning record and first playoff berth, upsetting the Boston Celtics in the first round before falling to the New York Knicks in the second round. The Hornets finished 41–41 in 1993–94, narrowly missing the playoffs. In 1994–95, they finished 50–32, returning to the playoffs but losing to the Chicago Bulls in the first round. In 1995–96, they finished 41–41 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. In 1996–97, the Hornets achieved the best season in their history at the time, finishing 54–28, and making it back to the playoffs, but lost to the Knicks in three games.

Did You Know?

• The Hornets' name originates from British General Cornwallis, who allegedly described Charlotte as 'a hornet's nest of rebellion' following the Battle of Charlotte in 1780.
• The team's uniforms, designed by Alexander Julian, featured pin stripes, a first for NBA uniforms.
• The Hornets drafted Larry Johnson with the first pick in the 1991 NBA draft; he won the 1992 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
• In 1996, the Hornets traded the rights to rookie Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Vlade Divac.