Description Available in: The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They are members of the Southeast Division in the league's Eastern Conference. The team is largely owned by former NBA player Michael Jordan, who acquired controlling interest in the team in 2010. The Hornets play their home games at Time Warner Cable Arena in center-city Charlotte.
The original Charlotte Hornets franchise was established in 1988 as an expansion team. The team relocated to New Orleans following the 2001–02 season, becoming the New Orleans Hornets. In 2004, the NBA established a new expansion team in Charlotte, the Charlotte Bobcats. In 2013, the New Orleans franchise announced it would rename itself the New Orleans Pelicans, relinquishing the Hornets name, records, and official history for use by Charlotte. The Bobcats became the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014–15 NBA season.