Their commentators are super overrated if you actually watch them they whine a lot over meaningless calls and they aren’t that entertaining when they cream their pants from lamelo hitting a wide open three
Seattle really needs a team back ASAP since there are many basketball fans in Seattle but the NBA just refuses to expand! Hopefully y’all can help a small and struggling RU-vidr out who works really hard :(
Except the Browns history, colors, and uniforms never left Cleveland; they remained there for the expansion team that began playing there 3 years later. Also, the Browns stadium was over 60 years old, while the Charlotte Coliseum was 14 years old when the Hornets left.
Except not really. The Browns owner was in dire financial straights when he agreed to move, it was a financial decision. Otherwise, he was fairly well liked in Cleveland before the move. The Hornets owner was DESPISED by Charlotte due to scandals and his presence was poisoning the whole franchise. Yeah, he had financial reasons but those were entirely his fault because everyone hated him, before that the team had very strong attendance and was doing fine. Him being so toxic is what tanked attendance. This is part of the reason why after moving to New Orleans, he still ultimately sold and left the NBA. Cause he was terrible.
My father was the manager of the Charlotte Coliseum. He told me the Hornets literally only paid $1 to play there. Also fans stopped coming because of the owner.
In a nutshell for those confused: 2002: Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans, became New Orleans Hornets 2004: New franchise created in Charlotte, named Charlotte Bobcats 2013: New Orleans Hornets renamed to New Orleans Pelicans 2014: Charlotte Bobcats renamed to Charlotte Hornets, gains control of old Charlotte Hornets history bc of contract negotiations
It’s confusing though because the 01-02 Charlotte hornets have basically the same team and coach as the 03 New Orleans hornets which are technically a different franchise
@@dakotarodriguez2150 yes but as soon as they relocated they became a new franchise meaning those players played for both franchises, i don’t know why they did this but it happened
@@dakotarodriguez2150 It's like that bc the new Hornets took the old Hornets' history as part of the 2014 deal like I mentioned above. Before 2014, the 2002 Charlotte Hornets and 2003 New Orleans Hornets were considered the same franchise. But yea I get that's it's confusing, especially when you add the short OKC Hornets stunt in the mid-2000s lol
Thank you. back in 2016, I got into a debate with someone who said that Kobe would've retired a hornet if he was never traded on draft night and played his whole career with the team that drafted him. I tried explaining that Kobe being drafted in 96 and playing for that team (Hornets) his whole career meant he'd retire a Pelican, not a hornet.
Andy you forgot a huge piece of Hornets history: The Charlotte Hornets had set an NBA record by having the highest average attendance for 10 consecutive years!
Along with MJ trying to buy a percentage of Charlotte after his second retirement if Shinn didn’t put his foot down then Hornets don’t leave for New Orleans
Ironically charlotte's attendance in the beginning was among the best in the league. Later on though by the early 2000s people were soured on basketball at that time, even winning teams had shitty attendance. No ball movement, the constant off the court problems of the players, etc.
I think the problem was even though those late 90s and early 2000s teams were good they lacked a superstar or all-stars. I remember reading somewhere that if the Iverson trade would have went through to the Pistons it would have resulted in Jerry Stackhouse going to Charlotte for the 2000-2001 season. That move could have changed history and they might have never moved away from Charlotte. I think that team could have went to the finals that season.
I'm a long term resident of Charlotte and a Hornets fan from the start. The info in this story is quite on point. One piece of info left out, however, is the attendance during the first 6 or 7 years of the teams existence (began playing in 1988). The original Charlotte Coliseum held 23,000 people and it was sold out continuously for 5 or 6 years. I know because I was on the season ticket waiting list for years. After the 3rd year of existence, Shinn starting saying that he needed a better arena and he was losing money with the current arena and needed a new one with more luxury suites. Mind you the Coliseum was built in 1987 with Charlotte city tax funds and was only 6 years old. That started the fan's disgust with Shinn. The sexual accusations just soured the public even more. When I finally had the opportunity to get tickets Shinn had totally turned me off. When Shinn got Charlotte the franchise in 1988, he was so popular he was given a parade. He was fairly poor as NBA owners go and they never really got along with them. The NBA was quick to give us another team because we demonstrated early support and they knew the Charlotte area was poised for a tremendous population growth.
The Hornets actually sold out every game for 9 years; the average attendance was over 23,000 in each of the team's first 10 seasons. I still can't believe Shinn ruined that.
@@TowDow3 and also he decided not to pay his players after he gave Johnson all that money and the Kobe Bryant trade was not the worst trade. He said he did not want to play for Charlotte and the Hornets did not want him. They needed a center to fill the void after Alonzo left, and they found it in Vlade Divac. And also did Shinn really messed up big time when he chose not to resign Divac
The LJ and Morning Hornets were the team of the future. Which always seems to doom the teams that are labeled that. I was a 1990’s teenager. The Cavs, Sonics, Suns, Magic, Hornets were all “the future” of the NBA. I really thought the 2001 Hornets would make the Finals that year.
@@jpmnky I was a college kid back in the 90s when The Hornets were one of the hottest teams in the NBA. With LJ, Zo, Mugsy, Del, and Gill as the core unit, they are fun to watch. LJ and Zo dunk all over everybody, while Mugsy running the floor and pickpocketing everyone who happens to be on the floor. This team, Suns, Magic, and Sonics was my team back then. Any teams that come up against Jordan's Bulls are my team.
It was live at the coliseum bro. They were a pretty good team results-wise, god-tier compared to the bobcats though. But it was more about the experience, I really think the original hornets were one of the hypest franchises ever near the end. Best team colors, best mascot. But I am from the area so I’m biased
I'm 36, born and raised in Charlotte. Dude you really did your research on this one, this is 100 percent accurate with what was going on with the Hornets in the late 90s early 2000s. People were just sick of George Shin, hated seeing the Hornets move to New Orleans, but it all worked out.
@KC Dream it's a pretty good place to live. Right now people are having a hard time finding houses to buy, a few a the new guys at my job are living in apartments, waiting for a house to come available.
It won't for now because today's NBA are becoming more toxic and political like some of the players supports the BLM movement, a white guy who hates Jews and others.
@@wazzup233 why are you referring to BLM like it’s Isis or something? And the one who “hates Jews” just made an ignorant remark while playing video games stop blowing shit outta proportion to benefit your empty statement.
The history of the NBA in New Orleans deserves its own video series. You can go from the Jazz moving to Utah and inexplicably keeping the name Jazz to the Hornets having to play in OKC which then prompted that asshole owner of Seattle (don't feel like looking up his name) to sell the team, which then moved to OKC. There's quite a lot of movement in and out of New Orleans in NBA history.
I can support what you're saying. When the Pacers were putting up a really good fight against Miami in the 2013 east finals, I even saw a meme on Google with Stern holding a gun to his head at the possibility of a Pacers vs Spurs NBA finals
And even the current NBA commissioner Adam Silver is also sucks and their ratings are getting lower and there are so many NBA toxic players who supports BLM thing are getting annoying. 🤑
As a North Carolinian who grew up during that era you were correct but left out a few other things that made the people of Charlotte hate Shinn. Shinn was a cheap ass when it came to paying his players. He had an intense negotiations with Alonzo Mourning during the fall of '95 for an extension in which he refused to pay what Alonzo wanted. Instead he traded Alonzo for Glen Rice. This trade rubbed fans the wrong way since ZO was a very popular player and a superstar. Anyways Glen Rice proceeded to have his best seasons in Charlotte and then during the lockout season wanted a contract extension but Shinn refused and ended up trading Rice for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell to the Lakers. Rice also was popular so this trade rubbed fans the wrong way. Shinn also decided not resign Vlade Divac who was a fan favorite but instead decided to sign a fat 300 pound out of shape Derrick Coleman because Coleman was cheaper. Coleman was a malcontent throughout the league and not a popular player in Charlotte considering once he openly urinated in public in a restaurant. The final straw I felt was when Bobby Phills who was a popular player among the fans in Charlotte. He was a community leader and a good person. His death was traumatic for the fans and the city. It was after he died the team's popularity dropped off a cliff despite them still being a good team. Combined everything you put in your clip with what I said is why the city of Charlotte wanted the Shinn-Hornets gone.
No the people in Charlotte wanted Shinn to leave in conclusion he was not paying market value to hang onto his Best players and that was angering the fans
For those wondering about 5:40, Shinn tried to buy an NHL expansion franchise in 1997, the Hampton Roads Rhinos based in Norfolk, VA. Interestingly enough, Norfolk was the city Shinn wanted to originally relocate to but they had no arena, New Orleans however did. Also, the Hornets were a win away in 2001 from the Eastern Conference Finals, which would have been a franchise first. The vote for the arena took place during that years ECFs, it's possible the team never would have left if they hadn't blown that 3-2 series lead against Milwaukee. The playoffs games sold out that year and people fell in love with the team again. But, Ray Allen put the dagger in their heart in game 6, and again in game 7.
I’m kinda happy with how things turned out it feels like the 2 franchises have been in the same boat ever since the bobcats came around and now is now different they’re both very young teams with extremely promising futures so at the end of the day everyone won in this situation even if it is a little confusing
Let me add on to the things Doctor X said. The Charlotte Coliseum was built as a college hoops building. The idea was to get the ACC to permanently hold their basketball tournaments there. No one had any vision of an NBA team in Charlotte - except Shinn. When the NBA held meetings for potential expansion teams, Shinn blew the doors off the competition (Minnesota, Orlando, and Miami). Shinn was the first of the 4 to get a yes vote. The Hornets' 2nd-ever game was at Detroit in the brand-new Palace of Auburn Hills. It was stacked with luxury suites and other high-end amenities that the Charlotte Coliseum didn't have. GM Carl Sheer would say years later, "as soon as I walked in the Palace, I knew we had made a mistake." So the Hornets were pretty much doomed from the get-go as far as being able to keep up with other teams' revenue was concerned. Shinn tried to communicate that, but he wasn't good at politics. The "South Carolina" you refer to as a relocation threat was Shinn wanting to build a new building in Fort Mill, SC., which is just across the NC/SC border from Charlotte. That building would have been about a 25-minute drive from where the Spectrum Center is now. Of course, people played the "rich vs minimum wage" card, and everyone was divided. Doctor X is absolutely right about what a tightwad Shinn was as far as player salaries go. How did he get that way? By giving a huge contract to the wrong guy. He signed Larry Johnson to a massive contract after the 1992-93 season, despite Alonzo Mourning being the best player on the team. So when Mourning wanted his big payday, Shinn suddenly started crying poor. The trade came right before the start of the 1994-95 season. It all went downhill from there.
Original Hornets, New Orleans Hornets, current Pelicans fan here. I really just watched this video and there was not a single mention of Glen Rice?.... Where is that unsubscribe button?
The original Charlotte Hornets led the NBA in attendance their first 9 years averaging 23,000 a game. Larry Johnson had the #1 selling jersey. About 5 NBA teams changed their primary color to teal. Georgia shinn messed it all up
Thanks for covering Charlotte! ☺️ George Shinn sounds like a real piece of work. Maybe one of the most hated owners in sports alongside Anthony Precourt
I remember that time the hate wasn’t about the minimum wage among my friends and family. It was the fact Shinn had shot the team by dismantling the trio of Mourning, Mugsy and Johnson. No one felt he was serious in making a contending team. In fact I don’t think a player had re-signed with the Charlotte Hornets in a long time.
I think apart of that had to do with the fact Mourning and LJ were beefing But yeah I would’ve paid Mourning or even LJ. Or, not and because the 2 weren’t ever gonna coexist in the long run. Shinn should’ve never been an owner of an NBA team. He was too broke.
Being an NBA owner requires a lot of responsibilities other than just winning championships you have to pay your players and give them contract Extensions they deserve this is your job
The Charlotte Hornets led the league in Attendance 9 out of the their 13 seasons. Shinn made so many dumb moves, one was giving Larry Johnson an 81 million dollar contract, which at the time was double the league highest contract. It sent the Free Agent Market into a crazy tailspin that the league has never recovered from. The salaries jumped so high across the league ticket prices went up as owners struggled to recoup profits even after TV deals went way up. The NBA has never been the same since. You can directly trace back these issues back to the Shinn/LJ deal.
I think the Timberwolves Should Move to Seattle they would attract more Free Agents and they would generate more Revenue since Seattle is a big sports city hungry for an NBA team again!
When was the last time the SuperSonics during their entire existence have landed some marquee name via free agency and not via draft picks or trades? Seattle, as much of a sports city can be, isn't appealing market like LA, New York, Miami, the Bay Area or even Houston.
Wow...so if the original hornets didn’t leave, there wouldn’t be a New Orleans hornets, which means there wouldn’t be a okc hornets which means there wouldn’t be the thunder which means Seattle keeps their team...maybe... :0
A number of things is the downfall of the Hornets.. 1. Not paying Alonzo Mourning to keep him. 2. Trading away Kobe 3. No sense of winning culture …. The list goes on & on.. ijs 😩
@@bricedixon113 True in the fact he wanted to be a Laker but he would have played for Charlotte it was the persuasion of then Lakers GM Jerry West that Kobe persisted a trade.
Basically, the Charlotte Hornets became the New Orleans Hornets, and then the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, and then the Oklahoma City Hornets, and then the New Orleans Hornets again, and then the New Orleans Pelicans. Conversely, the Charlotte Bobcats became the Charlotte Hornets. And for whatever reason, the franchises switched records, stats, and histories before the original Hornets move to New Orleans. So in essence, the Charlotte Bobcats became the New Orleans Pelicans. Confused?
Some blame should go on the NBA tbh. Shinn never should have been approved to own a team. He simply didn't have the money for it. That's why he was so damn cheap and greedy. He HAD to be.
Really only 5 large markets LA, Houston, NYC, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Pretty much everyone else is in a "small market" so it's kind of a silly thing to point out.
@@darielrowe1324 I'm not wrong. This is what TV commentators say all the time. The only small market in pro sports that I know is Green Bay. Everybody else plays in pretty big cities (over 500k people).
@@todd6805 True. I'm just talking about how the media portrays every team outside of LA, Houston, NYC, Philadelphia, and Chicago. You factor in all the potential fans in Raleigh/NC/SC and Charlotte is the ultimate media market in the south.
I was recently working on a spreadsheet of all the NBA Team Valuation from 2000-2021... And the pelican hornets switch was the most annoying part 🤦🏾♂️
