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Stadium:
New Orleans Arena
The New Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to the Louisiana Superdome. It has been home to the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA since 2002, and is also home to some Tulane University basketball games as well as some high school basketball games and other special events. The now-defunct New Orleans Brass of the ECHL played in the New Orleans Arena their last three seasons before their demise in 2002. Since February 2004, the New Orleans VooDoo, of the Arena Football League (AFL), has played their home games in the arena. The arena was completed in 1999 at a cost of $84 million and officially opened on October 19, 1999. The Brass was the main tenant for its first three years until the team was forced to fold after Hornets management demanded priority upon moving. The arena seats 18,000 for basketball and 16,500 for arena football and has 56 luxury suites.

Seating Chart:
New Orleans Arena Seating Chart

Team History:
In 1985, the NBA announced plans to expand by three teams. George Shinn, an entrepreneur from Charlotte, North Carolina; announced plans to bring an NBA team to the area. He assembled a group of prominent local businessmen to head up a prospective franchise. North Carolina had long been a hotbed for college basketball; the four North Carolina schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference have large and loyal fan and alumni bases in the city. Charlotte was also one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Charlotte had previously been one of the homes for the American Basketball Association's Carolina Cougars, from 1969 to 1974. Although a regional franchise, the Cougars were very popular and would have been a viable venture had the ABA been more stable. However, some critics doubted Charlotte could support an NBA team. In fact, one Sacramento Bee columnist joked, "The only franchise Charlotte is going to get is one with golden arches." [1] However, Shinn's ace in the hole was the Charlotte Coliseum, a state-of-the-art arena under construction that would seat almost 24,000 spectators--the largest basketball-specific arena ever to serve as a full-time home for an NBA team. On April 5, 1987; NBA Commissioner David Stern called Shinn to tell him that his group had officially become the 24th member of the NBA, to begin play in 1988.

Season Preview:
The New Orleans Hornets today unveiled their roster that will participate in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas from July 7-15. The Hornets will play five games, taking on Golden State, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Houston during the competition. Complete coverage of the Hornets summer league action, including box scores, photos and game summaries, will be available at www.hornets.com. Fans will also get their first chance to see the debut of first round pick Julian Wright and second round pick Adam Haluska as all games will be televised on a live webcast on NBA.com. The Hornets are one of 22 teams that will be participating in the league, which will run from July 6-15 and will be played at COX Pavilion and the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus. Their entry will also feature all three of last year’s draft picks (Hilton Armstrong, Cedric Simmons and Marcus Vinicius) and will be coached by Hornets assistant Kenny Gattison.

Official Site:
http://www.nba.com/hornets