Muggsy Bogues Legacy

Verified Timeline

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. 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 Their Own Story

The arena hums with a low vibration as the lights dim over the hardwood. In the memory of the fans, a blur in teal and purple darts through the defense, a tiny figure weaving between towering giants. The crowd roars, not for a dunk, but for the impossible pass that threads the needle. It is 1987, and Muggsy Bogues is rewriting the physics of the game, proving that on this court, size matters less than soul.

Reader's Guide

As of 2026, the Hornets are the only NBA franchise to have never won a division title, and one of two franchises alongside the New Orleans Pelicans to have never advanced to the conference finals.

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 original uniforms, designed by Alexander Julian, featured pin stripes, a first for NBA uniforms.
• The Hornets led the NBA in attendance in their inaugural season and would sell out 364 consecutive games in Charlotte.