National Basketball Association - Charlotte NBA

Charlotte NBA Expansion Team Rumored to be "Bobcats"

Bobcats join den of mascots

Official announcement, merchandise sale scheduled Wednesday

DON HUDSON
Staff Writer

There's a new breed of cat in town -- Bobcats.

Six well-connected sources, including one NBA source, told The Observer on Monday that Bobcats will be the new franchise's name.

Charlotte NBA team officials would not confirm the name in advance of their official unveiling party Wednesday. The official finalists are Bobcats, Flight and Dragons.

Team spokesman Chris Weiller said the team's first souvenirs will be available at the party uptown at Trade and Tryon streets Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.

The team name will be announced around 12:15 p.m. at the rally, headlined by team owner Bob Johnson and NBA Commissioner David Stern.

"We will give away team memorabilia for anyone who comes down to the festival," Weiller said. "Whether you buy something or not."

The team's color scheme will include orange, black and silver, as well as a fourth color, one source said.

"It's a great name," city councilwoman Lynn Wheeler said during a break at Monday's council meeting. "It's a name that could create excitement long-term and reflect the man who is investing an incredible amount of money into our team and into our city."

Bright orange billboards started going up all over town last week with hints about professional basketball's return to Charlotte.

"The bricks, the paint, the spandex," reads one on West Boulevard.

"Big and Tall stores get ready," says another on Independence Boulevard.

The Bobcats have a hard act to follow, coming behind the Charlotte Hornets that moved to New Orleans in 2002. The Hornets set NBA attendance records here, and their purple-and-teal colors and Hugo the Hornet mascot were known worldwide.

"It's marketable. It's conservative. It reflects Charlotte," councilman Harold Cogdell said Monday.

The Bobcats name fits with the NFL Carolina Panthers cat theme.

Team executive Tom Ward said last month said the name would likely be either Flight or Bobcats.

"I was a flight fan," councilman James Mitchell said. "Putting my tourism hat on, the Charlotte Flight could have been the beginning of branding Charlotte."

Clues to the Bobcats name started spilling out late last week.

A package addressed to team owner Johnson and the Charlotte Bobcats arrived at team headquarters at the Charlotte Coliseum Friday.

Also Friday, Observer columnist Tom Sorensen reported that Bobcats would likely be the name.

And people in the know started cracking cat jokes.

"I don't want to be the one to let the cat out of the bag," one source said. Twice.

Michael Saya, a Cornelius real estate agent who registered the Web site name www.charlottebobcats.com in January, said the NBA called him about two weeks ago and offered him $1,000 for it. He wouldn't sell at that price.

"I would have thought if they were interested they would have done more about it," he said Monday.

Team officials have said throughout the process that Johnson liked the Bobcats name. Since he bought the team, Johnson, the Washington billionaire, has insisted on being called "Bob" instead of Robert.

It would not be the first time a major league sports franchise was named after its owner. The NFL Cleveland Browns were named after their late owner, Paul Brown.

At least four colleges use the Bobcats nickname, including Ohio University, Montana State University, Quinnipiac University and Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk.

"This makes us official," councilman Malcolm Graham said. "We've got our identity and our colors. Now it's time to play ball.

-- Staff writers Leigh Dyer, Rick Bonnell, Tom Sorensen, Earnest Winston, Mike Persinger, Scott Dodd and David Perlmutt Contributed to this story.

-- REACH DON: (704) 358-5703;
OR DPHUDSON@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM

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Charlotte's new NBA team name, logo and merchandise will be officially unveiled at an uptown rally Wednesday beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets.

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