Charlotte Hornets
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 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
| Charlotte Hornets | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 Charlotte Hornets season | |||
| Conference | Eastern | ||
| Division | Southeast | ||
| Founded | 1988 | ||
| History | Charlotte Hornets 1988–2002, 2014–present Charlotte Bobcats 2004–2014 | ||
| Arena | Spectrum Center | ||
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||
| Team colors | Teal, dark purple, gray, white | ||
| Main sponsor | Feastables | ||
| President | James R. Jordan | ||
| General manager | Jeff Peterson | ||
| Head coach | Vacant | ||
| Ownership | Gabe Plotkin & Rick Schnall (majority) Eric Church, J Cole, and Michael Jordan (minority) | ||
| Affiliation(s) | Greensboro Swarm | ||
| Championships | 0 | ||
| Conference titles | 0 | ||
| Division titles | 0 | ||
| Retired numbers | 1 (13) | ||
| Website | www | ||
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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. 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. In 2013, the Bobcats announced they would begin playing under the Charlotte Hornets name in the 2014–15 season. 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.
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.