Hornets Extra: December 23, 1988: A date that will live in Charlotte NBA history.

Today marks a date of historic significance in the 25 year history of Charlotte NBA basketball, as one game would become a turning point in the history of a young franchise back in their inaugural season of 1988-89, as the Charlotte Hornets, who were just 6-17 at the time were preparing to face Michael Jordan, who is of course the owner of the new version of the Hornets, and the Chicago Bulls, who were 13-10 before a sellout crowd of 23,388 at the Charlotte Coliseum and a national television audience on SuperStation WTBS in a game that would put Charlotte on the map as a NBA hotbed.

December 23rd,1988 wasn't your typical Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, a city of 350,000 residents at the time, as many of us Charlotteans were either out doing some last minute Christmas shopping, or flying in and out of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to visit our families for the holidays.  For the Charlotte Hornets, a young expansion franchise that was finding it's way around the NBA in its second month of existence, they were hoping to give the fans something to cheer about.

It would come in the form of Michael Jordan playing in his first professional basketball game in his home state as a member of the Chicago Bulls, the Hornets opponent that night at the Coliseum, and believe me, the place was jam packed with those wearing Purple and Teal on that December night in 1988.

The turning point of that night's game was in the final quarter of action, as many of the sellout crowd that were there, while the rest of us were either watching the game on television, or listening to the game on the Hornets flagship radio station at the time, 1110 WBT, whose 50,000 watt signal would reach "From Canada to Cuba", were all wondering what would happen next.  Chicago was up 85-77 at the time, but the Hornets would eventually go on a run of 10-0 to capture the lead at 87-85, as Tim Kempton would come off the bench for Charlotte with his six points to help the cause.

Jordan, who eventually led all scorers with 33 points in his first NBA game back in North Carolina, would make a layup to tie up the game at 101, and with less than 26 seconds left in regulation, everyone inside Charlotte Coliseum was on their feet to find out if the Hornets would send it to overtime, or go for the win. For the team's first head coach, Dick Harter, he knew that if you wanted to send the crowd home happy, go for the win.

Charlotte would get the ball with 26 seconds left in regulation, and with less than three seconds left in the game, Hornets guard Robert Reid would miss his potential game-winning shot, then it would come to forward Kurt Rambis, who would get it off the rim, and he got the ball back when they got a fresh 24 on the shot clock as he would put a stickback basket at the buzzer, to give the Hornets a 103-101 win, sending the 23,388 into a frenzy that night at the Coliseum, as the game would signal the beginning of "Hornets Hysteria", when the Charlotte Coliseum would sellout night after night for the next 364 Hornets games, while going on to lead the league in attendance in 8 out of 10 seasons.

If you're a Hornets fan since that first season in 1988-89, you knew that this game was indeed a memorable one in Charlotte NBA history, when you combine the 14 seasons of the original Hornets franchise, along with the 10 seasons of the Bobcats era, and many of us still have memories of this game to this very day, as this game against Chicago 26 years ago was truly another memorable moment in Charlotte Hornets history.  

For those of you who were wondering who led the Hornets in scoring that night, it was Kelly Tripucka with 30 points.

Remembering the Charlotte Hornets 25 years later: The game that signaled the birth of "Hornets Hysteria"

As we continue to look back at some of the memorable moments from the Charlotte Hornets first season 25 years ago, we'll be looking back at an historical moment that changed the team, and the city of Charlotte forever 25 years ago yesterday, as "Hornets Hysteria" would be born with a game against North Carolina's native son, who would eventually be the man that would own our current NBA team and the driving force behind our city bringing the "Hornets" name back next season.

The game that marked the birth of "Hornets Hysteria"

It wasn't a typical Friday in Charlotte on that day back on December 23rd, 1988, it was just 2 days before Christmas, and thousands of people living here at that time were just busy getting their Christmas shopping done, while others were either flying in or flying out of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to visit family and friends, and for the Charlotte Hornets, who were 6-17 at the time, they were hard at work preparing for their match-up against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in what would be Jordan's first professional game in his home state before a crowd of 23,388 at the Charlotte Coliseum and a national television audience on SuperStation TBS.

The Hornets were down 85-77 to the Bulls, who were led in scoring by Jordan, who had 33 points, but forward Tim Kempton would provide a little spark for Charlotte off the bench, as his six points would give the Hornets an 87-85 lead with 6:23 left in the game, and with time running out, everyone inside the Coliseum was hoping for a little early-Christmas present, and head coach Dick Harter would come up with a game plan, as Charlotte was tied with Chicago at 101-101 after a Jordan layup, setting the stage for a thrilling finish at "The Hive", and to simply put it, it was truly alive and well that night with just a few seconds left in regulation, as both teams, and those attending the game, watching it on television, or hearing the game on the radio, were on pins and needles as the Hornets needed just one shot to win the game or settle it in overtime, but Rambis was all in, and he wanted to go for the win.

With 26 seconds left in regulation, the Hornets would have the ball, as Robert Reid's jumper attempt was no good with time winding down, and Rambis was right on the spot to recover the loose ball and would stick it in at the buzzer, for the first last-second win in franchise history, and everyone inside the Coliseum would shout in jubilation and the team was jumping for joy, as the Hornets would get what would become one of their signature wins in their first season in Charlotte, defeating the Bulls 103-101, with Kelly Tripucka leading the way with 30 points in the victory for Charlotte. In his post-game press conference,  Harter would give the fans that were there that evening a lot of praise, quoting that "Charlotte, this is your Christmas present." and from that game on, "Hornets Hysteria" was everywhere throughout Charlotte and the Carolinas, as the game that night would make the Charlotte Hornets a household name, while the Charlotte Coliseum would be packed night in and night out for 364 consecutive games.

The way I see it, "Hornets Hysteria" was simply put, something this city needed that day, as it would be an early-Christmas present for the residents of 350,000 people living here at that time who were busy preparing for the holidays, and it was all over our city, as fans wore everything purple and teal and talked about it at work, in sports bars, and everywhere else around our city, as well as throughout North and South Carolina, as people finally took notice about the Charlotte Hornets and adopting them as their hometown NBA team during the first season, and that is something that we are looking forward to recreating next season, when the Bobcats officially change its name to the Hornets for the 2014-15 season and beyond.

"Hornets Hysteria" was indeed another great moment in the first season of the 1988-89 Charlotte Hornets, as we continue to look back at some of the moments from the team's first season 25 years ago and looking ahead to the return of the Hornets next season.

Bobcats Extra: Jordan's Open Letter

After taking over the Charlotte Bobcats last Thursday, new Majority Owner Michael Jordan said that he wants to get it back to the way it should be, referring to the days when Charlotte's first NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, sold out the Charlotte Coliseum for 344 consecutive games and led the league in attendance for 8 out of 9 seasons during their 14 year run in Charlotte.

Yesterday in the Charlotte Observer, Jordan wrote an Open Letter to the City of Charlotte talking about what he wants to do to bring the people of this city to support the Bobcats down the stretch on the road towards possibly their first ever Playoff appearance in their 6-year history. In it, Jordan said that he is here to "Build a legacy as a owner by turning this into a model franchise that's focused on winning and creating a great fan experience."

One of those two goals are being met as we speak, as the Bobcats are currently 35-34 and are in 7th place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Jordan also went on to say that "I want to build a connection between this team and this community." in which the Bobcats are mostly active throughout North and South Carolina and he wanted the fans of the Charlotte Bobcats to join him on this journey by saying "Owning this team is my number one priority. I will do that by putting a winning team on the floor, making the experience at a Bobcats game memorable, and I want you to be a proud supporter of the Bobcats."

These reasons that Michael Jordan talked about in yesterday's open letter truly meant that he wants the people of Charlotte to get behind their Bobcats in the final 13 games of the season and be there at Time Warner Cable Arena, where Jordan wants to get it back to the days of when the Coliseum was the place to be during the Hornet years and if he commits to doing it, Jordan could cement his name as one of the NBA's best owners down the road.

Bobcats Extra: Jordan wants to lead by example as Bobcats owner

After much speculation and weeks of planning, the Charlotte Bobcats are now in the hands of one Michael Jeffrey Jordan. The NBA's Board of Governors approved his purchase of the team from Bob Johnson yesterday for $250 million, after reaching a deal to buy the team last month, and now the next chapter in the history of Charlotte Bobcats Basketball has commenced and it was already commenced last night, when the Bobcats gave Jordan his first win as their new owner by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In a press conference that was held today at Time Warner Cable Arena, Johnson said that "Today the similar event you'll always remember is when Michael Jordan becomes the new majority owner of the Bobcats." says Johnson, the teams outgoing owner who founded the team back in 2003. "Michael, you got to come down to Charlotte, and I'll tell you now, it was the best decision I've ever made for the Charlotte Bobcats." Johnson said.

Jordan became a part of the Bobcats family back in 2006 and over the last couple of seasons, Jordan has made some good and bad moves, which included 3 good moves during his time, bringing in Hall of Fame Head Coach Larry Brown, trading to get Stephen Jackson and just recently, bringing in Tyrus Thomas and Theo Ratliff, and some of his bad moves included hiring Sam Vincent and drafting Adam Morrison.

In his first remarks as the team's new boss, Jordan says "I love the game of Basketball, I grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, went to the University of North Carolina, and I basically established myself as a kid leaving home, and here I am, back home in North Carolina." says Jordan, "It's a dream come true for me. I am dedicated to do that and I am looking for any way to get it back to the way it should be."

During the first 5 years of the team's existence, the Bobcats had been somewhat cellar-dwellers, but let's fast forward to this season. Charlotte is on the verge of breaking through in the Eastern Conference playoff race as they hold on to the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference.

"I think we've made a lot of great strides, getting to the Playoffs, that's the goal, and I just want the city to experience what winning is all about." Jordan quoted, "Making the playoffs sets a certain standard. Each and every time you meet a certain plateau. Once I make the Playoffs, I want to go deep into the playoffs."