New Orleans Hornets planning to change team name to ‘Pelicans’ – NBA News
The New Orleans Hornets moved from Charlotte to their new home back in 2002, and kept the name with them as they made the change. However, everyone in New Orleans realizes that the name Hornets does not have anything to do with
the state and the city of Louisiana, and is more of a Charlotte thing. Hence, many have asked for the team name to be changed and instead, a name that better reflects the culture of the city and state be chosen. The fans might be getting their wishes fulfilled
as Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports has reported that the Hornets are thinking about changing the team name to Pelicans as early as the next NBA season.
“The New Orleans Hornets are expected to change their nickname to the Pelicans as early as the 2013-14 season, numerous sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Hornets planned to change their nickname since Tom Benson, owner of the New
Orleans Saints, purchased the team on April 14. Benson also owns the rights to the nickname Pelicans,” said Spears.
The Hornets new owner Tom Benson talked about the possibility of changing the name of the team when he bought it earlier this year, and it seems like he was quite serious about the issue when he talked about it. The Pelican is
the state bird of Louisiana and even appears on the state flag. Hence, it would be a more suitable for a team playing from New Orleans.
On the other hand, the Charlotte Bobcats might be interested in taking their old name back, as the name Bobcats is not really liked by fans. They consider the old name Hornets to be the identity of the city as well as the team
that was formed in 1988. With New Orleans changing the name of the team, the Hornets name might just be up for grabs and the Bobcats might be interested in taking it back. Michael Jordan, owner of the Bobcats, has already stated that if such a situation arises,
he would be interested in taking the Hornets name back. However, decisions on team names and colours are ultimately decided and approved by the NBA.
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