Charlotte Coliseum

Lore & Background

Construction on the Charlotte Coliseum began in 1986 and was opened on August 11, 1988, with a dedication by the Reverend Billy Graham. The architects, Odell Associates, claimed to have built a state-of-the-art venue, complete with a large eight-sided video scoreboard, but the arena contained far fewer luxury suites than other arenas built in that era. George Shinn had used the under-construction arena as his hole card to get the NBA to place a team in the city. With almost 24,000 seats, it was not only the largest venue in the league, but the largest basketball-specific arena ever to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team. Some thought the Coliseum was too big, but Shinn believed the area's longstanding support for college basketball made the Coliseum a more-than-viable home for an NBA team. The day after the dedication, the United States Olympic basketball team was scheduled to play an exhibition game at the Coliseum. While preparing for the event, the 40,000-pound, $3.2 million scoreboard was being positioned when it struck the ceiling and crashed to the floor. An alternate floor was brought from the old Coliseum in time for the game that night. The Hornets would go on to lead the NBA in attendance in eight of its first nine seasons playing in 'The Hive'. At one point, they sold out 371 consecutive games, or nearly nine consecutive seasons. However, poorly received decisions made by Shinn, as well as anger over personal scandals involving him, caused fan support to dwindle, and the Coliseum was seen by many as outdated and no longer suitable as the home of a major professional sports team. Before the Hornets relocated to New Orleans in 2002, the team's attendance had dropped to last in the 29-team league. The Coliseum had fewer amenities than other NBA arenas built in its time. 'As nice as the building was, it was ... the last of the propeller airplanes before the jets came,' said Max Muhleman of Charlotte-based Private Sports Consulting. While The Palace of Auburn Hills, which opened the same year, contained 180 luxury suites, the Coliseum had just eight. In 2005, the Charlotte Coliseum was replaced by the Charlotte Bobcats Arena (now Spectrum Center) located in the First Ward of Uptown Charlotte.

Reader's Guide

The Coliseum hosted 371 consecutive NBA sell-outs from December 1988 to November 1997, which includes seven playoff games. It hosted its final NBA basketball game on October 26, 2005, a preseason game between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Indiana Pacers. The Charlotte Sting of the WNBA began play in the Coliseum upon their inception in 1997, but had moved to Spectrum Center in 2006. During most Sting games, the upper level and a portion of the lower level were curtained off, reducing capacity to around 10,000. However, during the Sting's unexpected run to the WNBA Finals in 2001, they drew the largest crowd in WNBA history in one playoff game. The Charlotte 49ers played in the Coliseum during their final days in the Sun Belt Conference from 1988 through 1993. The Coliseum also played host to the 1989 Sun Belt men's basketball tournament, setting a record for attendance. They moved back to their old home, Bojangles Coliseum (then known as Independence Arena) for the 1993–94 season, partly due to a desire for a more intimate atmosphere. The 49ers' fan base is not as large as those of the state's ACC teams. Additionally, the Coliseum was located on the opposite side of the county from UNC Charlotte's campus, and was thus inconvenient to most of its student body. All of this led to 49ers games being frequently swallowed up in the environment. Two now-defunct Arena Football League teams played in the Coliseum—the Charlotte Rage (1992–96) and the Carolina Cobras (2003–04). When the NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats, they played their first season (2004–05) in the Coliseum as what became the Spectrum Center was being built. Although the Coliseum and all but one of its parking lots had been demolished as of September 2013, the street leading to the grounds (named Hive Drive after the Coliseum's nickname of 'The Hive') and a sign at the beginning guiding drivers to the Coliseum and surrounding amenities remained for some time afterward. Additionally, for some years after the arena's demolition, signs on Billy Graham Parkway continued to direct drivers to the 'Coliseum Area.'

Did You Know?

• The arena hosted the 1994 Men's Final Four and 1996 Women's Final Four.
• The first concert at the Coliseum featured Frank Sinatra.
• The Coliseum was used as a shelter for people fleeing New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The Arena Advantage

The Coliseum was designed by Odell Associates as a state-of-the-art venue featuring a large eight-sided video scoreboard. With almost 24,000 seats, it stood as the largest basketball-specific arena ever built to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team. George Shinn utilized this massive facility as his "hole card" to convince the NBA to place a team in Charlotte. While some feared the size was too great, Shinn believed the area's deep support for college basketball would sustain it. The Hornets proved him right initially, leading the league in attendance during their first eight of nine seasons and achieving 371 consecutive sell-outs. This success transformed the venue into "The Hive," a formidable home court that leveraged Charlotte's sports culture to overcome the building's initial lack of luxury suites.

Identity and Style

The Hornets' brand identity was crafted with distinct flair from their inception in 1987. Visually, the team revolutionized NBA fashion by adopting teal as its primary color, sparking a widespread trend across sports apparel in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their uniforms, designed by North Carolina native Alexander Julian, introduced pin stripes to the league—a first for professional basketball jerseys that other franchises quickly emulated. This bold aesthetic choice complemented their on-court strategy; General Manager Carl Scheer bypassed the typical youth-heavy expansion draft approach, instead assembling a roster of experienced veterans alongside three new draft picks. This immediate focus on competitiveness, paired with their striking visual presentation, helped the franchise establish a unique and memorable presence in the NBA landscape.

Early Struggles and Breakthroughs

The Hornets' journey began with a difficult inaugural season in 1988–89, finishing with a poor 20–62 record after losing their first game to Cleveland. However, the team quickly found moments of glory, including a historic victory over Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls during his first professional return to North Carolina. Despite initial coaching turmoil that saw Dick Harter replaced mid-season due to player rebellion and a dismal 19–63 finish in year two, the franchise began to stabilize under Gene Littles. The turning point arrived with the 1991 draft selection of Larry Johnson from UNLV. Johnson immediately made an impact, earning Rookie of the Year honors while leading the team in scoring alongside guard Kendall Gill. By drafting Alonzo Mourning second overall in 1992, Charlotte assembled a formidable young trio that transformed them into a legitimate playoff contender, ending years of mediocrity and establishing a core that would define the franchise's most competitive era.

Franchise Continuity and Legacy

The history of the Charlotte Hornets is defined by a complex period of relocation and rebirth. After owner George Shinn moved the original franchise to New Orleans in 2002, Charlotte was granted a new expansion team known as the Bobcats starting in the 2004–05 season. This interim era saw Hall of Famer Michael Jordan eventually acquire full ownership, leading to a historic merger in 2013 when the New Orleans team rebranded as the Pelicans. Consequently, the Bobcats reclaimed the Hornets name and absorbed the original franchise's records, creating a statistically continuous entity. Despite this restored lineage, the team faces unique historical hurdles; as of 2026, they remain the only NBA franchise never to win a division title or advance past the conference semifinals. Following Jordan's sale of his majority stake in 2023, the organization continues to navigate its identity as a single, unified franchise with a rich but challenging competitive history.