Team:
Charlotte Bobcats
Sport: NBA Basketball
Background: The Charlotte
Bobcats are an American basketball team which
will play in the National Basketball Association
starting in 2004-05. The team is located in
Charlotte, North Carolina.
Founded: January 10, 2003
Home Arena: Charlotte Coliseum
2004-05, New Uptown Arena 2005
Uniform colors: Orange,
blue, black and silver.
Logo design: Side profile
of an orange bobcat.
Franchise history
When the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans
for the 2002-03 season, the city and the NBA
agreed to create a new team for the 2004-05
season. Several ownership groups, including
one led by former Boston Celtics star Larry
Bird, made bids for the team. In the end,
a group led by BET millionaire Robert L. Johnson
won out. Johnson is one of the first prominent
African-American owners in U.S. sports. The
"Bobcats" name originated with him.
The team will play in the Eastern Conference's
Southeastern division, along with the Miami
Heat, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington
Wizards.
The Bobcats held their expansion draft on
Tuesday, Jun 22, 2004, picking up such seasoned
players as Peja Drobnjak and relative newcomers
such as Theron Smith. They also had the second
pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, which they used
to select Emeka Okafor.
