The Hornet's Nest

A Brief Story of The Charlotte Hornets

Shan Dhillon, Mason Fenner, Mark Ross

Presentation
Overview
-

History of the team.

Their growth as a team.
Why they relocated.
The Charlotte Bobcats.
Bringing back the Hornets.
Conclusion

Figure 1: Hornets Logo. Digital Image. Chris Creamer Properties. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.
sportslogos.com

Figure 1

Charlotte gaining a Team

Figure 3

- Charlotte use to be home to an ABA basketball team know as the

Cougars.
- Once the NBA and ABA merged some teams were lost.
- Since the NBA was becoming so popular in the 1980s, they wanted to
expand.
- In 1988, Charlotte Hornets were brought to North Carolina by owner
George Shinn.
Figure 4
Figure 2

Figure 2:Dell Curry 75. Digital Image. 2KHead. Accessed April

24, 2016. www.2khead.com

Figure 3: Carolina Cougars. Digital Image. Sports Ecyclopedia.

Accessed April 24, 2016. www.sportsecyclopedia.com

Figure 4: Dell Curry. Digital Image. 2KHead. Accessed

April 24, 2016. www.2khead.com

How Charlotte decided to go with the Hornets

- During the revolutionary war in 1776, The british General, Cornwallis and the
red coats conquered their way up to North Carolina.
- When he and the British Army reached Charlotte, what is known today as the
Battle of Charlotte, occurred in 1780.
- He referred to the small town as The Hornets Nest.
- The team was opting to go with the Charlotte Spirit but wanted to bring back
the history of the city and ultimately went with the Hornets.

Figure 5: CMPD. Digital Image. CMPD. Accessed April 24, 2016.

www.carolinaretailgroup.com

Figure 6: CFD. Digital Image. CFD. Accessed April 24, 2016.

www.wikipedia.com

Figure 7: Meck. Digital Image. Mecklenburg County.

Accessed April 24, 2016. www.wikipedia.com

Hornets First Season

- Just like any sports organization, their first season wasnt a great
one.
- They finished last in their division and their overall record was 2062
- Even though the team didnt do so well, they showed they had
potential as a basketball team.

Figure 8: Muggsy Bogues. Digital Image. 2KHead. Accessed April 25, 2016. www.2khead.com

Figure 8

The First Team

Figure 9

Figure 9:Hornets. Digital Image. Charlotte Magazine. Accessed April 23, 2016. www.charlottemagazine.com

Where the Hornets Played

-

- Construction began in 1986 to

renovate the building and finished in
1988.
- Only cost $52 million to complete
which gave the city a financial
advantage.

Figure 10

- The Charlotte Coliseum hosted 364

sell out NBA games, was home to the
Final Four, a NBA all-star game, and
a lot more.
Figure 10: Charlotte Coliseum. Digital Image. Blogspot. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.blogspot.com

Hugo The Hornet

Figure 11: Hugo the Hornet Classic. Digital Image. Pinterest. Accessed April 24, 2016.
www.pinterest.com

Figure 12: Hugo the Hornet. Digital Image. Sports Ecyclopedia. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.
sportsecyclopedia.com

The Hornets slow start

- The Hornets struggled even more after their first
season.
- The Team was good but missed a few key components.
- A few first round picks were vital for the teams
enhancement.
- Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson were two of the
guys picked who gave the Hornets exactly what they
needed.

Figure 13: Alonzo Mourning. Digital Image. 2KHead. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.2khead.com

Hornets Become A Contender in the Eastern Conference

- In the 1992/1993 season, the Hornets made their first playoff appearance.
- 1995/1996 have their first 50 win season.
- New Coach Dave Cowens and Glen Rice lead team to 54-28 season.

Figure 14: Hornets. Digital Image. NBA. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.nba.com

The 90s Hornets Impact On the City

-

The hornets had some of the best fan gear of any team.
The Coliseum was so cheap renovate that it actually provided an advantage for the city.
Changed Charlotte from a college town to a city that revolved around the Hornets.

Figure 15: Mural. Digital Image. Ernest H. Robl. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.wordpress.com

Hornets Leave Buzz City Behind

- Fans hated George Shinn
- Mayor Pat McCrory veto referendum
- After a lot of unwise trades, not keeping
Kobe Bryant, and outside drama,
the team lost its buzz.

Figure 16: New Orleans Hornets. Digital Image. Patheos. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.patheos.com

Begin the Bobcats Era

- Deal With the TWC Arena
- Larry Bird made a bid for the new franchise
- Group led by Robert L. Johnson wins bid for franchise
- Nelly is a co-owner
- The Flight, The Dragons, The Bobcats

Figure 17: Charlotte Bobcats. Digital Image. Zanda. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.zanda.com

Figure 17

Bobcats general information

Coaches: Bernie Bickerstaff 04-07 Sam Vincent 07-08 Larry Brown 08-11
Paul Silas 11-12 Steve Clifford(hornets current coach) 12-16
Notable players
Figure 18

Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor

Michael Adams( overall ranked Hornets best player by stats)
Figure 19

Figure 18: Gerald Wallace. Digital Image. Rankopedia. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.rankopedia.
com

Figure 19: DJ Agustin. Digital Image. Rankopedia. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.
rankopedia.com

Bobcats Ticket Prices

2012-2013 Season
Seat Location

Single Tickets

Early Bird Price

Inner Circle Club

$225.00

$10,105

Low Club

$110.00

$4,730.00

100 Level

$85.00

$3,655.00

200 Level

$20.00

$860.00

Figure 20: Ticket Prices. Digital Image. NBA. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.NBA.com

Bobcats Final Seasons

- 16th of 30 in the 2013-14 Season
- 30th of 30 in the 2012-13 Season
2012-13 Season

Figure 22

2013-14 Season

Figure 21

Figure 21: 2013-2014. Digital Image. Basketball Reference. Accessed April 24, 2016. http:
//www.basketball-reference.com/

Figure 22: 2012-2013. Digital Image. Basketball Reference. Accessed April 24, 2016. http://www.
basketball-reference.com/

Interview with Hunter Williams

Self proclaimed Hornets fan and Charlotte Native

- Why do you think people like the Hornets more than the Bobcats?
-

Bobcats were never good.

The Hornets had more of a winning culture and players before they relocated to New Orleans.
The color scheme and the uniforms of the hornets is more appealing than the Bobcats.

- Have you been to a game this year?

-

Yes I've been to a game this year. The game was a lot of fun. This past season, the Hornets
were one of the best home teams in the league due to the atmosphere the fans created.

- Why do you like the Hornets?

-

I like the hornets because I live in Charlotte. They are a young team on the rise. Kemba Walker
is an exciting point guard to watch and can take over a game at anytime.

Back to the Hornets Nest

- MJ Majority owner 2010
- Hornets return to Charlotte for the 2014-2015 NBA season.
- Charlotte forgets the Bobcats ever existed, the stats for the 2004-2013 seasons
remained under the Hornets name.
- New Orleans gets a flock of pelicans.

Figure 23: Buzz. Digital Image. Bring Back The Buzz. Accessed April 23, 2016. www.bringbackthebuzz.net

Figure 24: Pelican. Digital Image. Clipart Panda. Accessed April 23, 2016. www.
clippanda.com

2015-2016

Season and Playoffs

Figure 25: Hype Up. Digital Video. Derek Zurcher. Accessed April 22,
2016. www.youtube.com

2016 Playoff Hype Up video

How did the new team start off?

-After their first Season back (2014-15) they went 33-49, and were not considered
for the playoffs (11th in Eastern Conference)
-Signed Gordon Hayward, Lance Stephenson, Marvin Williams, Brian Roberts, and
Noah Vonieh.
-Head Coach- Steve Clifford (since 2013)
Player
Kemba Walker
Nicolas Batum
Marvin Williams
Jeremy Lin
Cody Zeller

GP
81
70
81
78
73

MIN
35.6
35.0
28.9
26.3
24.3

PTS
20.9
14.9
11.7
11.7
8.7

REB
4.4
6.1
6.4
3.2
6.2

AST
5.2
5.8
1.4
3.0
1.0

STL
1.6
0.9
0.7
0.7
0.8

BLK
0.5
0.6
1.0
0.5
0.9

TOV
2.1
2.9
0.8
1.9
0.9

Figure 26: Player Total Stats. Digital Image. NBA Media Ventures. Accessed April 15, 2016. www.NBA.com

Player Incomes in 2015-2016

Name
Al Jefferson
Lance Stephenson
Marvin Williams
Gerald Henderson
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Cody Zeller
Bismack Biyombo
Mo Williams
Kemba Walker

Salary
$13,500,000
9,000,000
$7,000,000
$6,000,000
$5,016,960
$4,030,560
$3,873,398
$3,965,074
$3,272,091

Name
Brian Roberts
Noah Vonleh
P.J. Hairston
Jeffrey Taylor
Jannero Pargo (waived)
Jason Maxiell
Troy Daniels
Elliot Williams
Dallas Lauderdale (waived)

Salary
$2,732,000
$2,524,200
$1,149,720
$915,243
$915,243
$915,243
$816,482
$53,838
$6,000

$82 Million per year in player expenses.

Figure 27: Conference and Regular Season Standings. Digital Image. NBA Media Ventures. Accessed April 5, 2016. www.NBA.com

Economy and Popularity of the team

-The attendance for Hornets games has risen in the past year.
-92% Turn out(Average 17,500 people per home game)
-$31 average ticket price
- The team worth is 750 Million
- Sport 404 Million
-Market 163 Million
-Stadium 132 Million
-Brand 56 Million

Figure 28: Buzz City. Digital Image. Sports Team History. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.sportsteamhistory
com

Linsanity
Season Age

Tm

Lg

Pos

MP

FG% Dist.

2P

0-3

310

1016

16
<3

3P

2P

0-3

310

1016

16
<3

3P

%Ast'd %FGA Md. %Ast'd %3PA 3P% Att. Md.

2010-11

22 GSW NBA

PG

29

285

.389

8.5 .931 .417 .264 .056 .194 .069 .403 .533 .316 .250 .286 .200

.407

.000

.000

.200

.000

2011-12

23 NYK

NBA

PG

35

940

.446

10.7 .804 .321 .253 .081 .149 .196 .477 .520 .423 .516 .456 .320

.184

.008

.583

.173

.462

2012-13

24 HOU

NBA

PG

82 2640

.441

12.4 .713 .333 .175 .049 .156 .287 .483 .635 .318 .227 .421 .339

.272

.003

.828

.195

.340

2013-14

25 HOU

NBA

PG

71 2054

.446

13.3 .654 .287 .190 .065 .112 .346 .492 .637 .389 .302 .405 .358

.324

.006

.854

.175

.450

2014-15

26 LAL

NBA

PG

74 1907

.424

13.2 .731 .278 .148 .118 .182 .269 .444 .604 .330 .390 .319 .369

.297

.000

.585

.091

.375

2015-16

27 CHO

NBA

PG

78 2048

.412

13.0 .690 .305 .130 .088 .166 .310 .446 .568 .379 .344 .331 .336

.348

.001

.816

.102

.391

Player Statistics. Digital Image. Sports Reference. Accessed April 19, 2016. www.basketball-reference.com

Played for Harvard in college.

Figure 29: Player Image. Digital Image. ESPN Internet Ventures. Accessed April 20, 2016. www.espn.go.com

Kemba

Player Statistics. Digital Image. Sports Reference. Accessed April 19, 2016. www.
basketball-reference.com

Played for the University of

Connecticut.

Figure 30: Player Image. Digital Image. ESPN Internet

Ventures. Accessed April 20, 2016. www.espn.go.com

Kaminsky
Season Age Tm

201516

Career

Lg

22 CHO NBA

NBA

Pos

GS

MP

FG FGA

FG
%

3P 3PA

3P
%

2P 2PA

2P
%

eFG
%

FT

FTA

FT
%

OR
B

DR
B

TR
B

AS STL BL
T
K

TO
V

PF PTS

81

3 1708 215 525

.410

68 202

.337 147 323

.455

.474 108 148 .730

69

266 335

98

38

43

59 126 606

81

3 1708 215 525

.410

68 202

.337 147 323

.455

.474 108 148 .730

69

266 335

98

38

43

59 126 606

Player Statistics. Digital Image. Sports Reference. Accessed April 19, 2016. www.basketball-reference.com

Played for the Wisconsin Badgers in college.

Figure 31:Player Image. Digital Image. ESPN Internet Ventures. Accessed April 20, 2016. www.espn.go.com

Hornets Playoff History

- Never made it past the 2nd round
- Made it to the playoffs 10 times
- 5 of the 10 times they lost in the first round
- 4 of the 10 times they made it to the second round but then lost

Figure 32: Hornets New Logo. Digital Image. NBA. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.nba.com

Figure 32

New Hornets vs Old Hornets

-The highest paid player on the 1988 Hornets was Kelly Tripucka and he earned
$980,000. Al Jefferson for the Hornets now makes over $13 million.
- The Hornets now play in Time Warner Cable Arena vs the old Bojangles
Coliseum

Figure 33:
Hornets Logo. Digital Image. Chris Creamer Properties. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.sportslogos.com

Figure 34: Hornets Logo. Digital Image. Wiki Photos. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.
wikipedia.org

Bobcats vs Hornets Popularity

- The Charlotte Hornets Ranked First in attendance from 88-97 except for their
second season, in which they came in second.
- The bobcats first season was ranked 28 out of 30 for attendance.
- The Hornets first season back they were 18 out of 30 for attendance.
- This year the Hornets beat the Bobcats in ticket sales in their best season

Figure 35: Hornets vs Bobcats. Digital Image. NBA. Accessed April 20, 2016. www.
nba.com

The Spirit of the Hornets will live on

- From General Cornwallis and the Hornets nest of rebellion in 1780
- Rise of Buzz City in the late 80s
- The team returning to Charlotte a resurgence of City pride and Team Pride.
- Economic expansion

Figure 36: First Flag Of N.C.. Digital Image. VSSR. Accessed April 20, 2016. www.vssr.org

HORNETS ARE NOT TEAL AND PURPLE

Figure 37: Real Hornet. Digital Image. Pest Free Living. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.pestfreeliving.
com

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Protecting
the
Hornets Nest
Figure 38: Killa-Hornets. Digital Image. Andrew McCoomb. Accessed April 24, 2016. www.lowculturehighconcepts.
com