MAY 20, 2014 - After 12 years, the Charlotte Hornets name has officially returned to the Carolinas. Today the name of Charlotte’s original NBA franchise is back as the Charlotte Bobcats have officially re-branded as the Charlotte Hornets.
“Today is truly an historic day for our franchise, our city and our fans as we mark the official return of the Charlotte Hornets,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment Chairman Michael Jordan. “Thanks to our fans who were the driving force behind the Hornets name returning. We are thrilled to be able to bring the Hornets name back to the Carolinas.”
Coinciding with the formal name change, the team released the following schedule of events that feature several re-branded Hornets activities:
UPCOMING HORNETS EVENTS
June 5 Hugo the Hornet will make his triumphant return to Charlotte.
June 9 The Hornets will hold a full-staff day of service at Hornets Nest Elementary School along with Lowe’s and Fox Sports Carolinas/SportSouth. Employees from all three organizations will complete various beautification and refurbishment projects at the school, as well as delivering Hornets Thank You kits to all 9,600 teachers at 160 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
June 19 Hornets team uniforms for the 2014-15 NBA season will be officially revealed.
June 26 Hornets new playing floor design unveiled at Time Warner Cable Arena.
July 11-21 The Charlotte Hornets name returns to NBA action at the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
Oct. 2014 The Hornets will host the inaugural Buzz Fest, a multi-day fan festival celebrating the beginning of the 2014-15 NBA season and return of the Hornets name. This interactive event will feature Hornets legends and current players, autograph and photo stations, basketball games, skills challenges, musical acts and more.
In addition, the team announced that after collaborating with the NBA and the New Orleans Pelicans, all of the statistical information, records and history of Charlotte NBA basketball will also be returning to the franchise. The Hornets will now own and have access to all of the historical elements from not only the Bobcats era (2004-2014) but also the original Hornets era in Charlotte (1988-2002). The Pelicans will maintain the history and statistics beginning with the team’s first season in New Orleans (2002-03).
The team’s official website has undergone the first phase of its re-designed look and can now be found at hornets.com. In addition, fans can follow the Hornets across the team’s official social media platforms:
The Hornets was the name of the city’s first NBA franchise from 1988-2002. The NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 as the Bobcats and played under that name from 2004-2014. On May 21, 2013, Jordan announced that the organization had applied to change its name to the Charlotte Hornets, a move that was approved unanimously by the NBA Board of Governors on July 18, 2013.