CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Buzz is officially back in Charlotte.
Owner Michael Jordan announced Tuesday evening that the Charlotte Bobcats will be changing their name back to the Charlotte Hornets. The team will return the name Bobcats for the 2013-2014 season before reverting back to the Hornets in 2014-2015.
The New Orleans Hornets changing their name to the New Orleans Pelicans paved the way for this move, returning the Hornets name to Charlotte after a nine-year stint as the Bobcats.
“We listened to a lot of the feedback coming from the fans. It was overwhelming the commitment and dedication to wanting the Hornets name back,” Jordan said. “We wanted to explore the survey and totally get a good feel and what the community and fans were saying, and this is exactly what they said. They wanted to see the name come back this way.”
The name carries historical significance for Charlotte after General Cornwallis called the city a “hornet's nest” for his troops in the Revolutionary War, and there’s been a swell of support for bringing the name back since the Pelicans relinquished it.
Charlotte becomes the first NBA city to lose a name and then have it return in NBA history.
However, Jordan said the franchise is yet to determine whether the name will come with the return of the signature teal and purple. Jordan said those talks would come later on in the process but that this was the first step.
“We haven’t even discussed that as of now,” Jordan said of the colors. “Obviously, we hear that in some of the conversations. This is the first step and then we have to evaluate all the other steps from this point forward. To say today we’ve come to that conclusion would not be an accurate statement.”
The most immediate step will be the franchise going in front of a vote of the Board of Governors, who will need to approve the name change.
The Board of Governors is set to vote in July.
“This is clearly the first step in a lengthy process,” the franchise's executive vice president Pete Guelli said.
