Charlotte's NBA franchise has begun the journey toward re-embracing the past.Bobcats owner Michael Jordan announced Tuesday that his team is on its way to being known as the Charlotte Hornets.
Jordan said he has informed the league of his decision and feels the NBA's Board of Governors will approve the name change when they convene in July. He says this is only the first step."This is a long and extensive process and a lot of research went into us coming to this conclusion," Jordan says.
"We spoke to our season-ticket holders, our fans, and overwhelmingly you guys wanted the Hornets name back. And we went out and we bought name back."
The Bobcats tweeted throughout the press conference:
The Hornets were in Charlotte from 1988 to 2002 before then-owner George Shinn moved the team to New Orleans. That franchise recentlyadopted the Pelicans as its new nickname.
Charlotte will still be the Bobcats next season. NBA officials say it could take about 18 months for the name change to become official.