Hornets' Rebrand Away From Bobcats Begins With Signage, Website

The Bobcats' name change to the Hornets will not be official until tomorrow, but the team already has swapped out its Bobcats name, has begun changing venue signage and changed over to the Hornets on its website. The franchise over the weekend also released a "retirement" video for Bobcats mascot Rufus Lynx. It is step one of the team’s official name change back to the Hornets, a rebranding process that began last July when the league approved the name switch.

Hornets Exec VP and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Pete Guelli: “It’s been a soft conversion. Our social media platforms and all intellectual property has been changed. All our sponsors have been notified.” Tomorrow at a 12:30pm ET press conference at Time Warner Cable Arena, the team is expected to announce its rebranding schedule pertaining to the unveiling of new uniforms, court redesign, community activations and the mascot. The team wanted to have the official name change in place prior to tomorrow night’s NBA draft lottery.