Hornets, NBA to renovate three Charlotte basketball courts

The Charlotte Hornets and the NBA will announce Wednesday they’re teaming up with the city and county to renovate three neighborhood basketball courts, a project that Mecklenburg county commissioners approved Tuesday night.

On Oct. 18, Hornets owner Michael Jordan and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will be at Latta Park for the dedication of the first Hornets-themed court to be redone. Camp Green Park and Tuckasegee Park are home to the other two courts to be upfitted later during the NBA season.

The team’s announcement comes weeks after the league said it was moving the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, citing opposition to to North Carolina’s controversial House Bill 2.

“I wouldn’t just call it a gesture. The NBA’s participation demonstrates its continued strong commitment to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County as well as our Hornets franchise,” Hornets President Fred Whitfield told the Observer.

“It’s another way the NBA wanted to reassure our city, our county, our fans and our community that they’re a huge part of our community, and enjoy being that.”

The project will include the addition of four new basketball goals and goal pads, eight new benches, new water fountains and new waste receptacles, all in the team’s purple and teal colors.

The project will also include various beautification elements throughout the park, the Hornets said.

After the Latta Park dedication, Hornets players and coaches will hold a junior NBA clinic with area kids, the team said.

“We’ll look at these three locations as being focal points of our brand and our organization in the community,” Whitfield said.

Since HB2’s passage in March, NBA Commissioner Silver said the league was against the law, but he also has emphasized the league’s commitment to its “ongoing business” in North Carolina: The Hornets, a team owned by Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in NBA history.

The controversial measure mandates that transgender citizens must use restrooms in government buildings that correspond with the gender at birth. The law also sets a statewide definition of nondiscrimination that excludes sexual orientation and gender identity.

The NBA has assured the Charlotte Hornets the 2019 event will return to Charlotte if issues involving HB2 are resolved.

This story was originally published September 6, 2016 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Hornets, NBA to renovate three Charlotte basketball courts."