RIP Hornets Name, Logo, Brand: 1988-2013
Written By: Chris Creamer
•
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tonight marks the final game the New Orleans Hornets will play before taking the court this fall as the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s an exciting time for the franchise as the team gets a shot at a new beginning with a fresh brand, one designed primarily focused on the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana.
With the arrival of the Pelicans comes the departure of the Hornets, their classic mascot Hugo, the logo, and colour scheme which changed the way several sports teams designed during most of the 1990s.
Charlotte Hornets Unveil Uniforms 1988
Charlotte Hornets Unveil Original Team Uniforms in 1988 – the teal craze is born
The Charlotte Hornets, as they were originally known, were admitted to the National Basketball Association on April 22, 1987 (why, it’s almost the anniversary!) along with Miami, Minneapolis, and Orlando. Charlotte’s entry started play along with the Miami Heat in the 1988/89 NBA season and were named after how one British commander described the Charlotte area during the Revolutionary War, a “veritable hornet’s nest of rebellion”.
1988-89 Charlotte Hornets
The expansion Hornets: 1988-89 season. Love the warmup shirts…
The Hornets introduced the colour teal to sports, it was an instant hit – spreading fast to hockey with the San Jose Sharks, baseball with the Florida Marlins, and to other basketball teams – even changing the classic red, white, and blue of the Detroit Pistons to teal, black, and red. Impossible to think such a time existed. The teal stuck around for over two decades with this franchise surviving a move to New Orleans and a temporary shift to Oklahoma City, surviving several new owners, and brand modernizing.
Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogus, Alonzo Mourning
Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogus, and Alonzo Mourning, *THE* Hornets of the 90s
The club never tasted much post-season success only winning a couple of playoff series in their years (including a stunning elimination of the Boston Celtics in 1993) but there were certainly memorable moments despite this.
They defeated “His Airness” Michael Jordan in his first pro game back in North Carolina in 1988; sold out the Charlotte Coliseum for their first ten! seasons (and this wasn’t some tiny arena – the Coliseum held 24,000 people!); they were there when the city of New Orleans was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and their temporary relocation during the cleanup paved the way for Oklahoma City to get their own NBA team a few seasons later.
Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul was the face of the franchise during most of their years in New Orleans
Chris Paul dominated, Bobby Phills was remembered, Kobe Bryant was traded before ever playing a game for them, and they celebrated a Southeast Division title in 2008.
Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, David West, Baron Davis, Dell Curry, Glen Rice as well as those mentioned in the preceding paragraph… these names will forever be attached with the Hornets brand to me and many others who have watched basketball in the past few decades.
Kobe Bryant Charlotte Hornets
Kobe Bryant’s brief tenure as a Hornet
In all, the Hornets brand lasted for a good quarter-century before New Orleans and new team owner Tom Benson wanted to put their own stamp on the franchise (and you can’t really blame them), the Hornets name is now free for a potential return to Charlotte where the city’s current NBA team, the Bobcats, are reportedly considering a switch back to Hugo and the classic teal and purple.
Goodbye Hornets… a look back at their primary logos over the years
Tonight we bid farewell (but for how long?) to this classic logo, to this revolutionary colour scheme, and a basketball team name nobody will ever forget. Time to bring on the Pelicans.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ovviamente nulla di nuovo sotto il sole, era una cosa già risaputa e di cui si è già parlato, mi sembrava però giusto rendere per l'ultima volta onore, con un 3d funereo ad hoc, ad una franchigia che ho amato, per cui ho tifato e per cui mi sono incaxxato.
R.I.P. Hornets, spero di vedervi rinascere nuovamente (a mo' di araba fenice) in quei di Charlotte, la vosta VERA città.
A proposito di requiem for a team... Per tutti gli ex fan di Sacramento (franchigia che probabilmente verrà traferita a Seattle),
www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2013/04/16/seattle-sacramento/...
Gioiranno i vecchi supporters dei SuperSonics!
E quel punto chi mai prenderà il posto dei Kings?! I Grizzlies?!?
Certo è che, va bene la logica dei profitti, ma questo continuo cambio di città secondo uno schema gitano-circense, il continuo pellegrinaggio delle franchigie in bigger markets, è davvero immondo.
![[SM=g11335]](https://im0.freeforumzone.it/up/0/35/2006295.gif)