When the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans for the 2002-03 season, the city successfully managed to have the NBA award the town an expansion team for the 2004-05 season. Several ownership groups made bids for this team, in the end, a group led by BET multi-millionaire Robert L. Johnson won out. Johnson is the first prominent African-American owner in U.S. sports. The "Bobcats" nickname is said to be based on him.
The team will play in the Eastern Conference. The NBA has confirmed that the Hornets will move to the Western Conference.
