May 20, 2014: The Charlotte Hornets Are Restored

Kemba Walker, and Steph Curry,

son of former Hornets star Dell Curry

May 20, 2014: A press conference is held to announce the return of the Charlotte Hornets. No team has moved, and the expansion that made it possible had happened 10 years earlier. But on this day, the NBA announces that the Charlotte Bobcats, established in 2004 to replace the original team, which moved in 2002, has officially been awarded the name, colors, trademarks and history of the original team. This was similar to the NFL's deal with the Cleveland Browns from 1995 to 1999.

The original Charlotte Hornets were a minor-league baseball team that played from 1901 to 1973. During the War of the American Revolution, Britain's General Charles Cornwallis described Charlotte as "a hornet's nest of rebellion." The World Football League had a team with the name in 1974 and '75. The NBA version began play in 1988, and lasted until 2002, when they were moved to New Orleans.

In the 2013 off-season, the team's new owners willingly gave up all the Hornets' accoutrements, and adopted the name of Louisiana's State bird: The New Orleans Pelicans. This allowed the new Charlotte team, named the Bobcats after their original owner, broadcast executive Robert L. "Bob" Johnson, to take on the Hornets identity -- but, for legal reasons, they still had to wait another season.

The Hornets were officially "retconned" as having suspended operations from 2002 to 2014, while the Pelicans are considered a 2002 expansion team. Charlotte had already been using past footage of the original Hornets as part of the "Buzz City" campaign.

The new Hornets have honored 2 players from the old Hornets with the retirement of their uniform numbers: 13, for guard Bobby Phills; and 30, for guard Dell Curry, father of Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry and NBA journeyman Seth Curry.

The Pelicans returned Phills' 13 to Charlotte. The only number they've retired is from the previous NBA team in the city, the New Orleans Jazz, mainly because the player in question played for nearby Louisiana State University before coming to them: "Pistol" Pete Maravich, who wore 44 for the Atlanta Hawks and the Jazz, before switching to 7, which both the Pelicans and the now-Utah Jazz have retired. Maravich is also the only player from a pro basketball team from New Orleans to be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

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May 20, 2014 was a Tuesday. The NBA was into its Playoffs, and 1 game was played: The Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers, 87-83 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse (now Gainbridge Fieldhouse) in Indianapolis.

Football was out of season. The NHL was into its Stanley Cup Playoffs, but no games were scheduled. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago Cubs, 6-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Jason Hammel outpitched Masahiro Tanaka. Derek Jeter, in his final season, went 2-for-4.

* The New York Mets lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-4 at Citi Field. Josh Beckett outpitched Rafael Montero -- barely, as neither starting pitcher reached the 6th inning. But the Dodgers had the better bullpen performance. Adrián González hit a home run for the Dodgers, while Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda hit them for the Mets.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. David Ortiz went 0-for-4 with a walk.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-4 at Nationals Park in Washington.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-0 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta. Julio Teheran pitched a 6-hit shutout.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-0 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. How many pitchers does it take to pitch a 4-hit shutout? This time, 4: Drew Pomeranz, 3 hits over 5 innings; Dan Otero, a hitless 6th and 7th; Luke Gregerson, a hit in the 8th; and Sean Doolittle, a hitless 9th.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins, 6-5 at Marlins Park (now LoanDepot Park) in Miami. Jimmy Rollins went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, a stolen base and 2 RBIs.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-2 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-2 at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-0 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Adam Wainwright allowed only 1 baserunner, a double to Paul Goldschmidt in the 4th inning.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-6 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers, 6-2 at Globe Life Park (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-4 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the San Diego Padres, 5-3 at Petco Park in San Diego.

* And the Los Angeles Angels beat the Houston Astros, 9-3 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.