The Charlotte Bobcats are officially changing their name to the Hornets in 2014-2015, according to Bobcats owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan.
The name switch has been rumored for months, but is now a matter of record after Jordan announced it at a media conference Tuesday afternoon. The NBA moved to Charlotte in 1988, and the Hornets played there until 2001, when George Shinn moved the team to New Orleans and took the name with him.
Now, the New Orleans franchise has ditched the "Hornets" moniker for a nickname with more local flavor, the Pelicans. New Orleans' change freed up the Hornets name for Charlotte, and they pounced on the opportunity.
During his press conference, Jordan said, "Overwhelming you wanted the Hornets name back,'' Jordan said. "When I first played here years ago, the thing I was totally astounded by was the energy. I wanted to bring that energy back. This decision) says a lot about how we've taken the input from our community and put that in action.''
Even though the Hornets played their ball in New Orleans, Charlotte Hornets gear has remained popular. When asked whether the newest iteration of the Charlotte Hornets will adopt the elder color schemes, Jordan replied, "We haven't even discussed that right now,'' Jordan said of the color scheme. "This is a first step. To say today we've come to that conclusion would not be an accurate statement. When the time comes we want to incorporate some of the past,'' Jordan said. "Dell (Curry) is with the team (as a television analyst) and I believe Muggsy (Bogues) is in town.''
The old saying "the clothes don't make the man" may apply to the Charlotte NBA franchise. Besides an updated look, the Bobcats have been the worst team in the league over the past two seasons, compiling a 28-110 record, and needs to hire its third head coach in as many years.
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