George Shinn

Sports Legends of the Carolinas

George Shinn, who conceived the Charlotte Hornets and brought the NBA to Charlotte, remains a busy man at age 81. Shinn was the Hornets’ original owner and — because of Charlotte’s great attendance and merchandising success, also indirectly had a hand in the NFL deciding the Queen City was worthy of a pro football franchise. The young boy from Kannapolis who finished dead last in his high school graduating class found his pro sports opportunity in the late 1980s and capitalized on it, although he now is out of the ownership business.

In Charlotte, Shinn was complicated. Controversial. Charismatic. While the Hornets are here largely because of him, they also left the city for a time, largely because people lost confidence in him. That happened when Shinn was sued for sexual assault. His trial was nationally televised in 1999. A jury acquitted Shinn, but on the witness stand the devout Christian had to admit to questionable behavior — including two sexual relationships with women other than his then-wife.

The trial was part of the reason Shinn’s relationship with the city and Hornets fans soured. In 2001, voters in Charlotte rejected a referendum that would have built the Hornets a new arena. Soon thereafter, Shinn moved the original Hornets franchise to New Orleans.

But the NBA was enamored with the Charlotte market by then and put a new team in Charlotte in 2004, which was first called the Bobcats but later re-adopted the “Hornets” nickname.

None of that would have happened without Shinn’s original dream, which is why he’s our latest guest on “Sports Legends of the Carolinas.”

Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Loumay Alesali, Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends.

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