Don’t get too excited Charlotte fans. You can change the name but these three aren’t coming back.
Could Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kemba Walker be doing their thing at “The Hive” one day? Here’s a story that my 90s NBA fans will appreciate, particularly those of you from the Queen City. Per ESPN.com, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan would be open to bringing the Hornets name back to Charlotte if the league allows New Orleans owner Tom Benson to change the New Orleans Hornets’ name and color scheme to something more relevant to Louisiana. Here’s what Jordan told the Charlotte Observer:
“It’s definitely an interest down the road, but right now it’s the New Orleans Hornets,” Jordan told the Observer. “We would definitely entertain the opportunity. That’s as much as we can say right now. We’ve heard the community ask the question, and we would listen.”
While the league office has the ultimate say on this issue, plenty of Charlotte fans would be very pleased to see this happen. In the days of Grandmama, Zo, and Mugsy Bogues, the Hornets routinely sold out the old Charlotte Coliseum and were one of the NBA’s most popular teams. Branding really matters in the NBA, especially in smaller markets like Charlotte. If Jordan is able to get the Hornets name back for Charlotte, it would go a long way towards re-connecting this current Charlotte team with a lot of the fans that ex-owner George Shinn alienated when he moved the team to New Orleans.
