The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Spectrum Center.
The Charlotte Hornets franchise was established in 1988 as an expansion team owned by George Shinn. In 2002, Shinn moved the franchise to New Orleans, where they began play as the New Orleans Hornets, later rebranding as the Pelicans in 2013.
The team would return as an expansion team, known as the Charlotte Bobcats, 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, following the rebranding of the New Orleans Hornets to the Pelicans, the Bobcats announced they would begin playing under the Charlotte Hornets name in the 2014–15 season. Along with the name, the Charlotte Hornets also received the records of the original Hornets franchise, making them, statistically, one continuous NBA team.
In August 2023, Jordan sold his majority stake in the Hornets to a group of investors led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. He retained a minority share in the ownership of the team.
