The New O rleans Hornets are a National Basketball Association team based in New Orleans , Louisiana . The name derived from the city's fierce resistance to British occupation during the Revolutionary War. Leading Lord General Cornwallis to refer to it as ‘'Hornets' Nest.'' The franchise played its first game as the Charlotte Hornets in October 1988. The 1988 team was led by guard Kelly Tripucka, who provided instant offense. Tripucka was Charlotte 's top scorer for the franchise's first two seasons. In 1992-93, the team won the second pick in the draft, using it to select Georgetown center Alonzo Mourning. The Hornets now had two 20-10 threats in a Johnson and Mourning, who with Gill formed perhaps the league's top young trio. They reached the playoffs and upset the Boston Celtics with Morning's famous series-winning shot. However, they were defeated by the Knew York Knicks. They did get to the playoffs in 1994-95, only to be beaten by the Chicago Bulls. In May of 2002 the Hornets were given permission to relocate to New Orleans .
It was the first NBA game played in New Orleans in 23 years. The Hornets qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight year in 2002-03, but were  beaten by Philadelphia again. As a result of the lack of success, the team's roster was reshaped, with older veterans Baron Davis and Jamal Mashaburn traded to facilitate a rebuilding process. The attendance on a steady decline since the team's arrival in the Big Easy, soon reached all-time lows for the franchise in New Orleans . The team enjoyed a brief resurgence in local support as a result of the popularity of coach Byron Scott and draft pick Chris Paul. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina the franchise had to relocate again to Oklahoma City . The Hornets has relocate to Oklahoma City , Oklahoma , for 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Current player in the Hornets roster are Brandon Bass, P.J Brown, Rasual Butler, Speedy Claxton, Chris Paul, Kirk Snyder, Jackson Vroman, Aaron Williams and Desmond Mason to name a few. In January 2006, Hornets forward Chris Andersen was dismissed from the team and the league for violations of the NBA's drug policy. He is unable to apply for reinstatement fro a minimum of two years. The Hornets then traded two second-round draft picks to the Toronto Raptors for forward Aaron Williams and two more second-round picks to the Philadelphia 76ers for center Steven Hunter.
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