The franchise formerly known as the Charlotte Bobcats is officially the Hornets.
The team name change to the Hornets was announced today after being named the Bobcats for 10 years.
The NBA approved the name change back in July of last year after owner Michael Jordan expressed his interest in reverting to the Hornets name two months earlier. The approval was the result of a majority vote by the NBA Board of Governors during a meeting in Las Vegas.
Despite the fact that the franchise changed the team name to the Hornets, any franchise records or accomplishments moving forward will not be affiliated with the original Charlotte Hornets franchise. This is because the Hornets franchise of the past relocated the team from Charlotte to New Orleans.
Tom Benson, also owner of the New Orleans Saints, bought the New Orleans Hornets for $338 million from the NBA in 2012 who had ownership of the franchise for the two seasons prior. A year after Benson took ownership of the franchise, the Hornets name was dropped and was renamed the New Orleans Pelicans.
Since joining the NBA in 2004 as an expansion team named the Charlotte Bobcats, the franchise has had minimal success and was only able to muster two postseason appearances (2009-2010 and 2013-2014) seasons. The franchise finished this season as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference which culminated in a first round sweep in this year’s playoffs at the behest of the Miami Heat.