NBA's Charlotte Bobcats are reportedly looking to change their name to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Charlotte team is in the process of changing their club's name to the Hornets, according to CBS Sports. NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said it will take at least 18 months after the request for the name change to go into effect. Marketing, apparel and sponsors all need time to adjust, if the change is approved.
Before the Bobcats were founded in 2004, Charlotte hosted the Hornets franchise from 1988-2002. The Hornets moved to New Orleans in 2002. In April, under new owner Tom Benson, the Hornets announced that it would change its name to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The change freed the Charlotte Bobcats to become, in effect, the Charlotte Hornets again.
Bobcats chairman and owner Michael Jordan said last November that changing the name to the Hornets is "definitely an interest down the road."
A change in name may be enough to spark the Bobcats and their weary fan base. The original Charlotte Hornets made 7 playoff appearances and boasted one of the NBA's most exciting players, Muggsy Bogues.
The Bobcats, by contrast, finished second-to-last in the league last season with a 21-61 record. Since the Bobcat's inception in 2004, they have had only one winning season and playoff appearance.
If the NBA approves the name change, fans could see the classic green Charlotte uniforms as early as the 2014-15 season.
