The Charlotte Bobcats officially joined the National Basketball Association on May 3. The Bobcats become the league’s 30th team and will begin play next season.

Robert L. Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television (BET), was unanimously awarded the Charlotte expansion franchise by the NBA Board of Governors in January 2003. The Johnson group also owns and operates the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting.

Longtime NBA team front office executive Ed Tapscott is the organization’s Chief Operating Officer. NBA veteran coach and executive Bernie Bickerstaff is the Bobcats’ first-ever general manager and head coach.

This is the 10th NBA Expansion Draft. See the All-Time NBA Expansion Draft history for details on who was selected in those Drafts.

Summary of Expansion Draft Rules and College Draft Rules
A. Player Selection
Each team will be allowed to protect up to 8 players from its active, injured and suspended lists as of the last day of the season; provided that each team must leave at least one player unprotected.
Unrestricted free agents and unsigned draft picks will not be eligible to be selected in the Expansion Draft. Restricted free agents are eligible to be selected. (If a restricted free agent is selected, he will become an unrestricted free agent, eligible to be signed by any team (including the expansion team) other than his prior team.)
Charlotte has the option to select one (and only one) player from each of the 29 current teams. Charlotte must select one player from at least 14 teams.

B. Pre-Expansion Draft Trades
Teams will be permitted to enter into pre-Expansion Draft trades in which Charlotte agrees to select or not select certain unprotected players.

C. Salary Cap
Charlotte will be permitted to select players in the Expansion Draft without regard to the Salary Cap.
Charlotte will have a Salary Cap in its first season equal to 66% of the Salary Cap applicable to the rest of the league and a Salary Cap in its second season equal to 75% of the Salary Cap applicable to the rest of the league.
Charlotte will be permitted to sign any restricted free agent it selects in the Expansion Draft using the same “Bird,” “Early Bird” or “Non-Bird” Exception that the player’s prior team would have had.

Compensation paid to a selected player under a contract protected for lack of skill will be excluded from Charlotte’s Team Salary if the player’s contract is terminated (via the waiver procedure) prior to the start of the 2004-05 season.
A team with a Team Salary above the Salary Cap will receive a Trade Exception to replace a player (other than a restricted free agent) selected from its unprotected list.

D. Post-Expansion Draft Transactions
A team will not be permitted to reacquire a player that it loses in the Expansion Draft prior to the expiration of one year from the date of the Expansion Draft, unless the player is waived and not claimed by any other team.

E. NBA Draft
Charlotte will have the fourth selection in the first and second rounds of the 2004 Draft. In subsequent years, the expansion team will be treated the same as other teams for purposes of determining where it selects in the Draft.