National Basketball Association team in Charlotte, North Carolina
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 of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference . The team plays its home games at the Spectrum Center .
The original Charlotte Hornets franchise was established in 1988 as an expansion team owned by George Shinn . In 2002 , Shinn moved the franchise to New Orleans . The team continued to play as the Hornets until 2013, when its name was changed to the New Orleans Pelicans .
As part of an agreement with the NBA, a new team known as the Charlotte Bobcats began competing in the 2004–05 NBA season .[11] On June 15, 2006, Michael Jordan , a former NBA player and member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame , 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.[12] In 2013, the Bobcats announced they would begin playing under the Charlotte Hornets name in the 2014–15 season .[13] [14] [15] On the day the name change became official, the franchise reclaimed the history and records of the original Charlotte Hornets team that competed in the NBA from 1988 to 2002.[16]
In August 2023, Jordan sold his majority stake in the Hornets to a group of investors led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall .[17] [18] He retained a minority share in the ownership of the team.[18]
^ "Charlotte Hornets Name Returns to Carolinas" . Hornets.com . NBA Media Ventures, LLC. May 20, 2014. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014.
^ "NBA.com/Stats–Charlotte Hornets seasons" . Stats.NBA.com . NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022 .
^ "History: Team by Team" (PDF) . 2018-19 Official NBA Guide (PDF) . NBA Properties, Inc. October 8, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019 .
^ Rochinski, Matt (August 31, 2020). "Hornets Unveil New Association and Icon Edition Uniforms" . Hornets.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020 .
^ "Hornets unveil new uniforms for 2020-21 season" . NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. August 31, 2020. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020 .
^ "Charlotte Hornets Reproduction and Usage Guideline Sheet" . NBA Properties, Inc. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017 .
^ "A Sweet Deal! Hornets Sign Groundbreaking Jersey Patch Partnership With Youtube Icon MrBeast's Feastables Brand" . Hornets.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 2, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023 .
^ "Group Led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall Finalizes Purchase Of Majority Stake In Charlotte Hornets From Michael Jordan" . Hornets.com . August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023 .
^ Callihan, Schuyer (June 16, 2023). "Michael Jordan to Retain Minority Ownership Share of Hornets" . Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023 .
^ "J. Cole and Eric Church Part of Group Buying Michael Jordan's Charlotte Hornets Stake" . Billboard . June 16, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023 .
^ "Charlotte Bobcats Become NBA's 30th Team" . www.nba.com . Retrieved April 10, 2024 .
^ "Here's a timeline of Michael Jordan's ownership of the Charlotte Hornets" . NBC Sports Chicago . June 17, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2024 .
^ "Charlotte Hornets Name Returns to Carolinas" . www.nba.com . Retrieved April 10, 2024 .
^ "Jordan: Bobcats changing name to Hornets | NBA.com" . NBA.com . June 8, 2013. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2024 .
^ Spanberg, Erik (April 29, 2014). "End of an era: With Charlotte Bobcats out of the playoffs, Hornets return" . www.bizjournals.com . Retrieved April 10, 2024 .
^ "Charlotte Hornets assume historical records from New Pelicans" . NBC Sports . May 20, 2014.
^ Wilson, Charlie (August 3, 2023). "Michael Jordan completes sale of NBA team Charlotte Hornets" . The Mirror . Retrieved April 10, 2024 .
^ a b "Hornets have new owners after MJ sale finalized" . ESPN.com . August 3, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2024 .