Charlotte Hornets Unveil 35th Anniversary Logo, To Wear New Classic Edition Uniforms In 2023-24

Photo courtesy of @hornets on Twitter.

The Charlotte Hornets will celebrate the 35th anniversary of their inaugural season in 2023-24 and mark the occasion with a commemorative logo, as well as a new Classic Edition uniform, which will be unveiled at a later date.

OFFICIAL: The Hornets will commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the inaugural 1988-89 Hornets season during the 2023-24 NBA campaign.

🔗: https://t.co/TxlMPOgLnm pic.twitter.com/3OLQ22dFqo
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) May 12, 2023

The logo prominently displays the Hornets’ primary logo at the center of a teal hexagonal cell (or honeycomb), which features pinstripes in light blue, royal blue, green and purple, blending Charlotte’s current jersey design with their original look.

There is a “35 Years” banner the top and “1988-2023” banner at the bottom of the logo, though it’s worth noting the franchise technically suspended operations for two seasons after the Hornets moved to New Orleans in 2002 and resumed play as the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004.

After New Orleans changed its name to the Pelicans in 2013, the Bobcats changed their name to the Hornets in 2014. That included acquiring the franchise’s history and records in Charlotte from 1988-2002, similar to how the NFL’s Cleveland Browns were resurrected in 1999.

Meanwhile, the Hornets’ history and records from their time in New Orleans – and Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina – are part of the Pelicans, who are officially considered an expansion franchise.

This will mark the fourth Classic Edition uniform for the Hornets, including a teal set based on their 1990-97 road design in 2017-18, a white set based on their 1990-97 home design in 2018-19 and a purple set based on their 1994-97 alternate design in 2019-20.

The Classic Edition uniforms will be worn during a series of 35th anniversary games next season, which will undoubtedly feature a throwback court design and other in-arena presentations to match the games played at Charlotte Coliseum in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Additionally, the Hornets have teamed up with the Charlotte Museum of History to create the “Hive at 35,” an exhibit that displays the history of Charlotte basketball and artifacts from the team’s inaugural season and other milestones.