MJ wants to go back to Hornets
Charlotte owner Michael Jordan reportedly wants to change the team name to the Hornets, the name of original NBA expansion team.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS owner Michael Jordan is changing his team's name to the Hornets, said a person familiar with the situation.
The person said Jordan will detail the timetable for the change to be completed at a press conference the Bobcats have scheduled today. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the name change has not been publicly announced.
NBA deputy commissioner and COO Adam Silver previously said it would take "about 18 months" for the Bobcats to change their name. That means Charlotte could once again become the Hornets by the 2014-15 season.
The Hornets resided in Charlotte from 1988-2002 before then-owner George Shinn moved the franchise to New Orleans.
The New Orleans Hornets recently changed their name to the Pelicans.
Silver said in an April interview if the Bobcats decided to change their name to the Hornets it would be "an enormously complex process and a very expensive process for the team. From everything to the uniforms, to the building, to the letterhead to the signs on the offices - all of that has to be taken into account."
While he didn't estimate how much the change would cost, Silver did say the fact that the league owns the rights to the name Hornets could help speed up the transition process.
"I'll let [the Bobcats] speak to their own timeline, but we're supportive of whatever they do," Silver said in April.
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