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The Charlotte Bobcats were a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Bobcats played in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, relocated to New Orleans. The team was owned by former NBA player Michael Jordan, who acquired the team in 2010. The Bobcats played their home games at Time Warner Cable Arena in center city Charlotte. In their 10-year history as the Bobcats, they qualified for the postseason just twice, once during the 2009–10 season when they achieved a franchise-best record of 44–38, and again in 2013–14.
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.
Franchise History[]
Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2014)[]
Creating the Bobcats[]
Charlotte Bobcats logo 2004–2007.
When the Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans for the 2002–03 season, the NBA promised Charlotte leaders that the city would be granted an NBA expansion team for the 2004–05 season. Several ownership groups, including one led by former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, made bids for the team. On December 17, 2002, a group led by Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson was awarded the franchise, becoming one of the first prominent African American owners in U.S. professional sports. On June 15, 2006 it was announced that NBA legend and North Carolina native Michael Jordan would become the second largest shareholder in the Bobcats and become the owner in 2008. As part of the deal, Jordan became head of basketball operations. Another notable co-owner is the rapper Nelly.
In June 2003, the new team was named the Bobcats. Bobcats, along with Charlotte Flight and Charlotte Dragons were the top three choices as voted by fans. The Charlotte Regional Sports Commission aided with the "Help Name The Team" effort that drew over 1,250 suggestions. The bobcat, an expert at survival according to the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, is athletic, fierce and an indigenous predator to the Carolinas. Charlotte, already being home to the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League, made the cat-related name a natural choice for the area's new basketball team.
Despite failed attempts at the ballot box to fully fund a new uptown arena, city politicians decided to go ahead with plans and implemented a hotel and leisure tax in Charlotte to help pay for it. George Shinn, owner of the Hornets, also wanted the city to pay for a new arena, and subsequently left town for New Orleans when it failed to do so.
2004–2006: Beginnings of a franchise[]
The Bobcats held their expansion draft on June 22, 2004, picking up such seasoned players as Predrag Drobnjak and talented youngsters such as Sacramento Kings forward Gerald Wallace. They also traded with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire the second pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, which they used to select Emeka Okafor, a center from Connecticut. Okafor went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2005.
The Bobcats first game of the 2004–05 season took place on November 4 and was a 103–96 loss to the Washington Wizards. Two days later they won their first game in franchise history over the Orlando Magic, 111–100. On December 14, the Bobcats really gave their fans something to roar about, beating the New Orleans Hornets 94–93 in overtime in the team's first trip to Charlotte after the move. The Bobcats would go on to post an 18–64 record finishing in 4th place in their division. In the 2005 NBA Draft, the Bobcats drafted two North Carolina players: Raymond Felton and Sean May. With these two players, in addition to Okafor, the Bobcats hoped to build a young, solid foundation for future success. The 2005–06 season saw the Bobcats finish with a record of 26–56, a slight improvement over the previous year. Adam Morrison, from Gonzaga, was selected with the third pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. The Bobcats again improved on their record from the previous two seasons, finishing the 2006–07 season with a 33–49 record.
On March 13, 2007, Jordan announced that head coach Bernie Bickerstaff, who had guided the team for its first three seasons, would not return to coach the 2007–08 season. Jordan stated that Bickerstaff would finish the rest of the current season and that he remained an integral part of the organization. Candidates interviewing for the head coaching position included Stan Van Gundy, Paul Silas, Herb Williams, and Mike Fratello. Two months later the team announced that Sam Vincent, a former assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, would be the second coach in franchise history.
2007: A year to forget[]
Charlotte Bobcats logo 2007–2012.
The front office was a key issue for the Bobcats during the 2007 offseason. Rod Higgins was hired as general manager, assuming the same role he filled with the Golden State Warriors. Phil Ford was added to the coaching staff over the summer, and another position was filled when Buzz Peterson was hired from Coastal Carolina University, where he served as head basketball coach, to become director of player personnel.
Brandan Wright was selected with the eighth pick by the Bobcats in the 2007 NBA Draft. He was subsequently traded to Golden State in a deal that included Jason Richardson being sent to Charlotte. Gerald Wallace, the team's leading scorer for the 2006–07 season, was resigned to a reported six-year contract. Unfortunately, the Bobcats were unable to capitalize on offseason moves, finishing the 2007–08 season with a disappointing 32–50 record. The team, which felt confident the season would end with its first playoff berth, struggled amid rumors of players clashing with the coach. Only lasting a year, in which he struggled with personnel decisions, Sam Vincent was fired as head coach on April 26, 2008.
2008–2010: The Larry Brown era[]
Front office and coaching were key focuses for the Bobcats during the 2007 offseason. Rod Higgins was hired as general manager, and Sam Vincent was hired as the second head coach in franchise history. In the 2007 NBA draft, Brandan Wright was selected by the Bobcats with the eighth pick; he was subsequently traded to Golden State for Jason Richardson.
On April 29, 2008 the Bobcats reached an agreement to hire Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Brown as the third head coach in franchise history. In the 2008 NBA draft, the Bobcats selected D. J. Augustin from Texas ninth overall. On December 10, 2008, a little over a month into the season, the Bobcats obtained Boris Diaw and Raja Bellin a trade with Phoenix. The trade turned out to be successful as the team came close to reaching the franchise's first playoff berth, but finished four games out of eighth place with a record of 35-47. Following the season, majority owner Bob Johnson announced he was putting the team up for sale.
2009–10: Michael Jordan becomes owner of the Bobcats[]
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Michael Jordan acquired the Bobcats in 2010.
During the offseason, the team picked Gerald Henderson from Duke 12th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. The Bobcats traded Emeka Okafor for New Orleans Hornets' center Tyson Chandler, and through more trades acquired Stephen Jackson and Acie Law from the Golden State Warriors. On February 27, 2010, it was announced that Johnson had decided to sell the team to Jordan, allowing Jordan to become the first former NBA player to become majority owner of a franchise.
On April 9, 2010, the Bobcats clinched their first playoff berth since 2002 with a 104–103 road win over the New Orleans Hornets, finishing the 2009–10 season with an overall record of 44–38, their first-ever winning season. Gerald Wallace was a huge factor in the playoff run as he became the Bobcats' first and only ever NBA All-Star. However, the Bobcats were swept by the more experienced Orlando Magic in 4 games.
2010–14: Final years of the Bobcats[]
Despite the departures of Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler, the Bobcats hoped to make the playoffs for a second straight season. Following a dismal 9–19 start, Jordan announced that Larry Brown had stepped down as head coach. Paul Silas was hired as their new head coach the same day. The Bobcats sent Wallace to the Portland Trail Blazers and received two first round draft picks, Joel Przybilla, Sean Marks, and Dante Cunningham, also acquiring D. J. White and Morris Peterson in a trade with the Thunder. Going down the stretch, injuries to both Stephen Jackson and Tyrus Thomas derailed any chances of Charlotte trying to catch the Indiana Pacers for the eighth spot in the east. In the end, the Bobcats finished the season with a 34–48 record overall, finishing 25–29 under Silas.
On June 13, 2011, the Bobcats made some changes to their front office by hiring former Trail Blazers general manager Rich Cho to the same position and promoting Rod Higgins to President of Basketball Operations. During the 2011 NBA Draft the Bobcats sent Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and the 19th pick to Milwaukee and received Corey Maggette and the 7th pick in return. The Bobcats used that pick to draft Bismack Biyombo and with their 9th pick drafted Connecticut's Kemba Walker, the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
In the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Charlotte lost often, including their last 23 games. During their season finale against the New York Knicks, the Bobcats recorded yet another loss as their win percentage dropped to .106, setting a new record for the worst season ever by an NBA team (as this season was shortened by the lockout, the 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers still hold the record for most losses in a season with 73). Overall, the team's record was 7–59. On April 30, 2012, the Bobcats announced that Silas would not return as head coach. St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap was named as his successor.
Despite finishing the season with the worst record in NBA history, the Bobcats received the second overall pick. With the second pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Bobcats selected Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and selected Jeffery Taylor with the 31st pick. They also added Ben Gordon, Ramon Sessions and Brendan Haywood in free agency. The Bobcats won their first game against the Pacers, snapping their 23-game losing streak. The team seemed to rebound with a 7–5 start to the season. However, they promptly went on an 18-game losing streak from which they never recovered, snapping the streak with a win at Chicago. Charlotte finished 21–61, the second-worst record in the league. Dunlap was fired on April 23, reportedly because the players were turned off by his heavy-handed coaching style. He would be replaced by former Los Angeles Lakers assistant head coach Steve Clifford.
During the 2013 NBA Draft, the Bobcats selected Power Forward/Center Cody Zeller 4th overall. The Bobcats would also obtain former Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson in free agency. In February 2014, the team received Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour in a trade with the Bucks. The new players and coaching staff worked as the Bobcats clinched a playoff berth for the second time in franchise history by beating Cleveland on the road. Charlotte finished the regular season 43–39. However, the Bobcats were swept in four games by two-time defending champion and eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the first round.
2014–present: The Return of the Charlotte Hornets[]
On May 21, 2013, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan officially announced the organization had submitted in an application for a team name change pending an unanimous decision by the NBA Board of Governors. The Hornets naming rights previously had belong to the New Orleans franchise who had previously changed their name to the Pelicans in which the League bought out the rights to name. On July 18, 2013 NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said the process would take 18 months for name change but the fact that the league owned the rights to the name would help speed up the process. That same day the Board of Governors unanimously approved the name change which will take place after the 2013-14 NBA season. On November 22, 2013, Jordan announced the team would adopt the Hornets original colors of Teal and Purple. During a December 21, 2013 game at halftime the team held a ceremony with former original Hornets players Muggsy Bogues & Rex Chapman unveiling the new Hornets logo.
On January 16, 2014, the Bobcats revealed new Hornets shirts, hats, and gear.
On May 20, 2014, the Bobcats officially became the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets. At a press conference regarding the change, team officials also announced that as part of a deal with the NBA and the Pelicans, the renamed Hornets reclaimed the history and records of the 1988–2002 Hornets (in a move similar to that of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns return to the league in 1999), while all of the Hornets' records during their time in New Orleans from 2002 to 2013 remained with the Pelicans. Charlotte had already been using past footage of the original Hornets as part of the "Buzz City" campaign.
Uniform image gallery[]
Logo image gallery[]
