Hugo (or Hugo the Hornet) is the mascot of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association. Designed by Cheryl Henson, daughter of Jim Henson, Hugo the Hornet was created in 1988, one year before Hurricane Hugo hit the Carolinas. [1]
Hugo (or Hugo the Hornet) is the mascot of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association. Designed by Cheryl Henson, daughter of Jim Henson, Hugo the Hornet was created in 1988, one year before Hurricane Hugo hit the Carolinas. [1]
The Hugo moniker was selected from a pool of more than 6,000 fan suggestions, and was inaugurated as part of the Charlotte Hornets' first season. [1] In the aftermath of the damage resulting from Hurricane Hugo in September 1989, the Hornets announced that the Hugo moniker would remain, and the mascot's name would not be changed to Hoser or Hank. [2]
During a break between the first and second quarters of a 2008 game between the New Orleans Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs, Hugo jumped off a trampoline through a ring of fire and dunked a basketball. Afterwards, the New Orleans Arena arena crew responsible for cleanup used the wrong fire extinguisher and were unable to put the fire out, resulting in the arena filling with smoke and causing a 19-minute delay. NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson canceled the halftime show and later fined the team. During the halftime show, TV commentator Charles Barkley dared Hugo to repeat the stunt after the 3rd quarter. [3] Barkley continued calling out Hugo throughout the night and in the next game.
After the New Orleans team became the Pelicans in 2013, Hugo was retired in favor of Pierre the Pelican. On December 21, 2013, the Charlotte Bobcats announced they would reclaim the Hornets name and Hugo the Hornet for the 2014–15 season. Hugo officially returned to Charlotte on June 5, 2014.
Hugo is a 4-time winner of the NBA Mascot Slam Dunk Championship. Hugo is also a 2-time winner of the NBA Best Mascot Award by NBA Inside Stuff , a magazine that he has been featured in on numerous occasions. In addition, Hugo has also been featured in such foreign magazines as New Sports and 5 Majeur.
Hugo, as well as three other NBA mascots (Benny the Bull, Crunch the Wolf and The Suns Gorilla), appears as a hidden player in the video game NBA Jam Tournament Edition .
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The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Spectrum Center.
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Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte Coliseum prior to 1988, the Charlotte Convention Center, and Ovens Auditorium. It was the home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 2002, and the Charlotte Bobcats, the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets, from 2004 to 2005.
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This is a list of the accomplishments and records of the current Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets, known from their creation in 2004 until May 2014 as the Charlotte Bobcats, are an American professional basketball team currently playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
To see the previous year of the New Orleans Hornets team inherited from the original Charlotte Hornets see the 2001–02 Charlotte Hornets season here.
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The history of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Hornets dates to 1985 when founder George Shinn first thought of bringing professional basketball to Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets commenced play as an expansion team in 1988. After fourteen seasons under its original ownership, the franchise suspended operations in 2002 when Shinn transferred the basketball organization under his control to a new franchise in New Orleans. The Charlotte franchise was subsequently acquired, reactivated and renamed the Bobcats by Robert L. Johnson. After restocking its roster through their second expansion draft, the team resumed play in 2004. Johnson sold controlling interest to Hall of Fame legend and North Carolinian native Michael Jordan in 2010. Jordan, who restored the club's original name in 2014, sold the team to group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin in 2023. The franchise has reached the postseason twelve times and made ten playoff appearances, although as of 2024 they are the oldest club in all of North American major professional sports to have never won a division championship.
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