George Shinn has found himself again. Fans like him. They see him as one of them.
Hornets' ticket sales have doubled over last season to about 11,000, a dramatic increase, helped by having one of the best teams in the NBA..
Twenty years ago the Charlotte Hornets debuted in the NBA, marking the QueenCity's entrance into major league sports. Back then, Shinn was considered a hero for overcoming long odds to land the franchise.
Now, Shinn says the team would likely still be in Charlotte had he acted differently when his personal life became the center of a controversy that engulfed the once-beloved team, leading to a move to New Orleans in 2002 he told the Charlotte Observer's Ron Green Jr.
After being very popular in Charlotte when the Hornets came into existence, so popular he was approached to run for governor, Shinn fell out of favor a decade later after being sued in a sexual assault case. A jury rejected the sexual assault claim in December, 1999, but he admitted in court to having two sexual relationships outside his marriage. That trial was broadcast on Court TV and drew some of the cable network's highest ratings at the time. Shinn later divorced and has since remarried.
"I had my issues in Charlotte," the owner told the sportswriter. "One of the biggest mistakes I made, and this is hindsight, I quit. I was so humiliated and taken back by the bad judgment I made in my life. I was so embarrassed."
The fallout from the sexual assault claim was immense, Shinn withdrew from the public.
"I had been making speeches all over, and I never charged a dime," said Shinn. "I quit doing it. I quit talking to the media. It was the stupidest thing I could have done. People in Charlotte love basketball. Had I wised up early and gotten out in the community like I do now, we'd probably still be in Charlotte."
When Charlotte-area voters rejected a new arena proposal, Shinn and his former ownership partner Ray Woolridge moved the team to New Orleans. Woolridge sold his stake in the franchise several years ago.
There were questions about whether New Orleans had the economic foundation to support an NBA franchise. New Orleans loved the Saints and that wasn't going to change in the small-market city, The challenge was made even more difficult after Katrina devastated the city and forced the Hornets to play two seasons in Oklahoma City. Shinn said he expected the move to Oklahoma City would force him to sell the franchise and he was devastated.
Instead the Hornets were a hit in Oklahoma City. After two years away, the Hornets returned to New Orleans amid serious questions as to whether the franchise could survive in a region destroyed by the storm.
"When it came time to leave Oklahoma City and come back here, I was getting all kind of criticism," recalls Shinn. "In one story, somebody referred to me as stupid. I've been called worse.
"One reporter said, 'Shinn has been lucky and pulled a lot of rabbits out of his hat, but he's run out of rabbits.'
"The majority of our people didn't want to comeback here. They'd read about certain areas of the city that didn't have power. The roads were horrible. There was crime. There was the issue of education. There was the question should New Orleans even be rebuilt. Nobody wanted to come back."
It is not certain whether the NBA would have allowed Shinn to keep the Hornets in Oklahoma City had he sought to do so. The Seattle franchise ultimately moved to Oklahoma City.
"We prayed about this thing and decided we have to do what's right," said Shinn."I'm 67 now. I've made mistakes in my life and I understand that. I had a better chance to make money in Oklahoma City, but that wasn't what I needed. I needed to what was right. What's right was to help this city. I have a home here, We knew how this city was suffering.
"I attended many functions. People were depressed. They were tearing down their city, It had to stop."
Shinn said he makes regular public speaking appearances in this area, offering encouragement, In a region traditionally tied to the Saints, Shinn said he's been gratified to see the number of Hornets' flags now decorating homes and businesses.
"I've made enough mistakes in my life," said Shinn. "I'm not going to make them here. This city needs us here. We're going to make this thing work."
Shinn is contributing to the city and his team is successful.
He also returns telephone calls and talks to the media.
George Shinn has found himself again. Fans like him. They see him as one of them.
