National Basketball Association - Charlotte Bobcats

Charlotte Bobcats Unveil Name, Logo

Team unveils logo before 7,000

Bobcats won't embarrass, owner promises Charlotte

DAVID PERLMUTT
Staff Writer

With thousands crowded into the region's most important intersection, the NBA's hierarchy came Wednesday to help take the wraps off the league's newest team -- the Charlotte Bobcats.

And, at least for an afternoon, Charlotte felt like an NBA city again.

For Bob Johnson, the franchise's billionaire owner and founder of Black Entertainment Television, Wednesday was "the proudest day of my life."

"I am with the proudest fans in the world. I love me some Charlotte."

It was a proud moment for NBA Commissioner David Stern, too.

"It's been a great community for us, and it will be a great community for us again," Stern said after the speeches and logo unveiling on a makeshift stage in the middle of Trade and Tryon streets, the heart of the country's second largest banking center, where an estimated 7,000 fans gathered at lunchtime.

To the crowd, Johnson promised: "My organization, myself and my players will never embarrass or let you down."

Perhaps that wasn't a reference to the Charlotte Hornets, the region's first NBA team that left town under a dark cloud for New Orleans last year.

But the statement resonated for many fans who remember Hornets owner George Shinn and some of the Hornets players getting into legal tangles that blemished the city's image. The Hornets, which for eight years led the NBA in attendance, fell into disfavor the last few seasons and saw attendance precipitously drop.

"I hope this is a team we can be proud of," said Louise Danielson of Union County, who brought a group of children for the unveiling. "The other team left us with some embarrassing moments."

The name Bobcats surprised no one, except Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory -- or so he joked.

Still the team logo and jerseys covering The Square's four statues were kept under black drapes. After the logo was unveiled, workers had trouble bringing down the drapes over the statues -- to the snickers of many fans.

Despite not being a popular choice in several informal polls, Bobcats and the team's logo and colors of orange ("it's not a Halloween orange, but a warm orange," Johnson said), black, silver and blue seemed to catch on quickly.

"The colors are cool," assessed 13-year-old Joseph Hutchinson of Charlotte.

Kevin Steele of Charlotte loves the name.

"It represents feisty and scrappy," said Steele, with his 6-year-old son, K.J., and 8-year-old niece Kamri Morris. "A cat don't give up when he gets backed into a corner. He'll fight his way out, and that's what I hope for this team."

Johnson said he decided on Bobcats -- over the other two finalists, The Flight and Dragons -- for a variety of reasons.

In an interview with The Observer, Johnson said the name had to have a connection to the region.

Bobcats are one of two wildcats native to the Carolinas and the only one that still roams the region.

The name, Johnson said, had to be merchandisable and symbolic of the team he wants to put on the court: "When you look at other teams, animals dominate. The bobcat is a predator. He's agile and quick and able to maneuver."

And it had to be available for copyrighting: "No other professional team -- baseball, football or basketball -- in the United States, has the name Bobcats."

The team paid a firm more than $100,000 to design a logo and color scheme.

But Johnson's 13-year-old son, Brett, was his main consultant for the colors.

"You've got to listen to kids," Johnson said. "They know what sells."

Some fans groused that the selection of Bobcats showed that Johnson let his first name do the choosing and wondered if he was only massaging his ego.

Johnson said not.

"Of course I've got an ego," said Johnson, one of two black billionaires in America and the only African American to own an NBA team.

"But I like what I'm doing in Charlotte. I like what I'm committing to Charlotte in my time, my money (he paid $300 million for the franchise) and my energy. I like the name Bobcat because it reflects what I feel about Charlotte and what I want Charlotte to feel about the Bobcats. I'm very proud."

Many times during his remarks, Johnson referred to himself as a Charlottean.

He is one now, sort of. He said he has bought a condo at The Ratcliffe, a new condo development uptown not far from where the city's new arena is being built.

"It will be a lovely place to entertain," Johnson said. "I will be spending a lot of time in Charlotte."

Impressive turnout

Stern seemed to be pleased with the team's choices. He said orange is "about to be a very hot NBA color."

As a cat lover with four cats, he liked Bobcats as the name. "It's an active name."

As for Charlotte's quick return to the NBA, Stern said the league was obligated to give the city a chance because of the interest shown by the city and business leaders -- and the NBA's previous successes here.

"We told the owners that we should respond in a positive way," Stern said. "It was important for us to give it a chance. We didn't like the way the first time ended."

Not everything was cheery at Wednesday's celebration.

A lone man protested the new arena, which voters resoundingly rejected with other projects in 2001.

And one man criticized Stern within earshot for letting the Hornets leave Charlotte.

Still, Stern was heartened by Wednesday's response: "Frankly, I'm stunned at the turnout today. It's very exciting; I thought there would be a couple hundred people. It looks like all systems are go. I think the NBA is alive and well in Charlotte." -- STAFF WRITER LEONARD LAYE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE.

-- REACH DAVID PERLMUTT: (704) 358-5061;
DPERLMUTT@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM.

This article was taken from www.charlotte.com.  All rights reserved.