The Charlotte Bobcats are a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team is part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets, relocated to New Orleans and became the New Orleans Hornets. The Bobcats play their home games at Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte. The Bobcats' NBA Development League team is the Sioux Falls Skyforce (the affiliation is shared with the Minnesota Timberwolves). The Bobcats were also the brother team of the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA before the Sting folded on January 3, 2007.

When the Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans for the 2002–03 season, the NBA promised Charlotte leaders that the city would be granted an NBA expansion team for the 2004–05 season. Several ownership groups, including one led by former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, made bids for the team. In the end, a group led by Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson was awarded the franchise. Johnson is one of the first prominent African American owners in U.S. professional sports. On June 15, 2006 it was announced that NBA legend and North Carolina native Michael Jordan would become the second largest shareholder in the Bobcats. As part of the deal, Jordan became head of basketball operations. Another notable co-owner is the rapper Nelly.

In June 2003, the new team was named the Bobcats. Bobcats, along with Charlotte Flight and Charlotte Dragons were the top three choices as voted by fans. The Charlotte Regional Sports Commission aided with the "Help Name The Team" effort that drew over 1,250 suggestions. The bobcat is one of the few indigenous predators to the Carolinas. Charlotte, already being home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers, made the cat-related name a natural choice for the area's new basketball team.

One of the ironies in the formation of the franchise was the fact that despite failed attempts at the ballot box to fully fund a new arena downtown, city politicians decided to go ahead with plans and implemented a hotel and leisure tax in Charlotte to help pay for it. George Shinn, owner of the Hornets, also wanted the city of Charlotte to pay for a new arena, and subsequently left town for New Orleans when the city failed to do so.

The Bobcats held their expansion draft on Tuesday, June 22, 2004, picking up such seasoned players as Predrag Drobnjak and talented youngsters such as Sacramento Kings forward Gerald Wallace. However, Drobnjak would never play for the team; the Bobcats traded Drobnjak to the Atlanta Hawks for a 2005 second round draft pick. They also traded with the Los Angeles Clippers to acquire the second pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, which they used to select Emeka Okafor, a center from the University of Connecticut. He went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2005.

Their first game was a 103–96 loss to the Washington Wizards on November 4, 2004. They won their first game in franchise history over the Orlando Magic 111–100 on November 6. After losing their next seven games, the Bobcats stunned the defending champion Detroit Pistons 91–89. On December 14, the Bobcats really gave their fans something to roar about, beating the New Orleans Hornets 94–93 in overtime in the team's first trip to Charlotte after the move. The Bobcats would go on to post an 18–64 record finishing in 4th place in their division. After the regular season, they finished with the best record in one of the NBA's summer leagues, the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. In the 2005 NBA Draft, the Bobcats drafted two North Carolina players: guard Raymond Felton and forward Sean May. With these two players, in addition to Okafor, the Bobcats hoped to build a young, solid foundation for future success. The Bobcats selected Adam Morrison from Gonzaga University with the third pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. After an injury to part-time starting point guard Brevin Knight that would sideline him for at least a month, the Bobcats traded Bernard Robinson to the New Jersey Nets for point guard Jeff McInnis and cash considerations on January 3, 2007.

On March 13, 2007, part-owner Michael Jordan announced that Bobcats head coach Bernie Bickerstaff would not return to coach the 2007–08 season. Jordan stated that Bickerstaff would finish the rest of the current season and that he remained an integral part of the organization. Candidates interviewing for the head coaching position included Stan Van Gundy, Paul Silas, Herb Williams, and Mike Fratello. On May 25, 2007 the Bobcats announced that Sam Vincent, a former assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, would be the second coach in franchise history.

The front office has been a key issue for the Bobcats during the 2007 offseason. Rod Higgins was hired on May 31, 2007 as general manager, assuming the same role he had with the Golden State Warriors. Although Higgins has the title of general manager, Jordan retains full control over basketball operations.

Phil Ford and Lee Rose were tapped to join Vincent's coaching staff on June 6, 2007. Buzz Peterson was hired from Coastal Carolina University, where he served as head basketball coach, to become director of player personnel on June 13, 2007. Brandan Wright was selected with the eighth pick by the Bobcats in the 2007 NBA Draft. He was subsequently traded to Golden State for swingman Jason Richardson and power forward Jermareo Davidson. Shortly after the Richardson trade, the Bobcats resigned Gerald Wallace to a reported six-year, $57 million contract. Wallace was the team's leading scorer for the 2006–2007 season, and has been with the team since the 2004 expansion draft. The Bobcats waived team veteran Brevin Knight who was formerly the starting point guard but lost the job to Raymond Felton. Since assuming the starting point guard role, Felton has led the team in assists. On December 14, 2007, the Bobcats acquired center Nazr Mohammed from the Detroit Pistons for Wálter Herrmann and Primo Brezec. January 31, 2008 saw guard Earl Boykins, the shortest player in the NBA, sign with Charlotte, as the Bobcats looked to bolster their depth at the point guard position. Only lasting a year, Sam Vincent was fired as head coach on April 26, 2008 after a disappointing season that saw the Bobcats finish with a 32–50 record.

On April 29, 2008 it was reported that the Bobcats have reached an agreement to hire Larry Brown as the third head coach in franchise history. The 2008 NBA Draft saw the Bobcats select University of Texas Point Guard D.J. Augustin with the 9th selection of the first round, French Center Alexis Ajinca with the 20th pick (which had been acquired prior to the Draft from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a lottery protected future first round pick), and Washington State University combination Guard Kyle Weaver.  On July 31, 2008 it was reported that the Bobcats had reached an agreement with the teams first ever draft pick, Center Emeka Okafor on a 6 year, 72 million dollar contract extension.

Getting Inside

After signing a six-year, $72 million contract, Emeka Okafor said he never considered playing for any team but the Charlotte Bobcats.

Consider that more good manners than total candor.

Ultimately, Bobcats management and Okafor’s representatives came to common ground on what would be a fair, long-term contract for the team’s center and original draft pick. However, there were some friction and hurt feelings along the way.

Okafor was offered closer to $10 million per season at the outset of free-agency this summer, a significant reduction from the $12 million average offered a year ago. Okafor turned that down, but eventually got an additional guaranteed season out of the new deal once reaching restricted free-agency.

Okafor’s camp was sufficiently frustrated that the Bobcats were asked to consider sign-and-trade alternatives that would have sent Okafor elsewhere, in return for compensation. Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said he wouldn’t consider a sign-and-trade, then worked toward an offer that would satisfy Okafor.

Okafor signing a one-year, $7 million qualifying offer might have been disastrous for the Bobcats. In the summer of 2009, he would have been an unrestricted free agent, meaning he could have signed elsewhere without the Bobcats reserving the right to match that offer.

Okafor might not be the Bobcats’ best player, but he would have been particularly difficult to replace. One of only four NBA players to average a double-double each of the past four seasons, Okafor’s rebounding and shot-blocking are crucial on a team that is generally weak defensively.

Notes, Quotes

• While managing partner Michael Jordan is clearly in charge of basketball decisions, it appears general manager Rod Higgins is taking a higher-profile and more assertive role in day-to-day operations. Higgins announced he wouldn’t consider sign-and-trade options, and never stopped focusing on trying to re-sign Emeka Okafor.

• While not as imbalanced as last season, the Bobcats’ schedule is again back-loaded with road games. They play 24 of their last 41 away from Charlotte, including a rough finish: six of the last eight on the road, including trips to Eastern Conference powers Boston and Detroit.

Last season, the Bobcats played a slew of games on the road in February and March to accommodate college-basketball commitments back in Charlotte.

Quote To Note:   “I was a college player; I knew I wasn’t going to see the light of day.”—Emeka Okafor, on how little he played for now-Bobcats coach Larry Brown, with Team USA in the 2004 Olympic Games.

Roster Report

Draft Picks:   D.J. Augustin, G, 6-0, Texas—Undersized, pass-first point guard who’ll serve as a contrast to incumbent Raymond Felton.

Alexis Ajinca, C 7-0, French pro—Raw, long-limbed athlete who figures to be a long-term project inside.

Kyle Weaver, G 6-6, Washington State—Above-average defender at shooting guard who needs to become a better shooter. Traded to Oklahoma City in August for a 2009 second-round pick,.

Free Agent Focus:   Emeka Okafor’s signing resolved the major issue of the summer and Ryan Hollins accepted a one-year qualifying offer to stay in Charlotte.

The Bobcats could offer Raymond Felton a contract extension now, to avoid him becoming a restricted free agent next summer, but it’s questionable whether Felton and the Bobcats would agree on his long-term worth at this juncture—particularly after spending a lottery pick on another point guard, D.J. Augustin.

Player Notes: 

• General manager Rod Higgins still has to decide whether to sign another veteran big man (which in part would serve as insurance against Sean May’s injury history). Higgins said any decision on complementary players was secondary to resolving the Emeka Okafor situation.

• Earl Boykins’ decision to sign with an Italian team was of no consequence to the Bobcats. Boykins didn’t do much in his half-season in Charlotte, and once the team drafted another point guard, Texas’ D.J. Augustin, with the ninth overall pick, there was no reason to bring back Boykins.

• Rookie center Alexis Ajinca suffered a knee sprain in the final game of summer league in Las Vegas, but that isn’t expected to slow him in training camp in October.

• The Bobcats signed Shannon Brown, a guard out of the developmental league. Brown would have to play very well to make this team in October, since the Bobcats already have so much talent at the guard spots.