James Jordan shifting into new role with Charlotte Hornets. Here’s what it entails
More change is on the horizon for the Charlotte Hornets.
James Jordan is moving into a senior advisory role beginning on Saturday, the team announced Wednesday. Jordan, who most recently served as the franchise’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, will shift his focus on the second phase of Spectrum Center renovations scheduled for next year and construction of the Hornets Performance Center, the multi-million dollar practice facility.
Jordan is also going to continue as the franchise’s NBA G League owner representative, keeping the 31-year military veteran as an active voice on several of the developmental league’s boards and committees.
It’s the latest alteration among the Hornets’ hierarchy since Jordan’s brother, Michael, sold controlling interest in the team to co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin last August.
“I’m not going to be completely leaving,” Jordan told The Observer before Wednesday’s game against Toronto, “but I’ll be working with a team of people, the same team that we’ve been engaged with since we did the city deal and we started the process of how to get the renovations, what it’s going to look like, the practice facility — from the (originally planned) location to now. And so we’ve been working at it a pretty good time.
“The team that we had before, we’ve got the same team, we’ve got the same owner’s reps, the same people within the organization. … We’ll keep doing what we normally do and I’ll provide assistance where it needs to be. Really, it’s nothing different. Just keep grinding it out.”
Often spotted sitting at the end of the team’s bench at home games, Jordan’s departure from his longtime position represents another significant modification at the Hornets’ executive level.
Fred Whitfield resigned as team president last December, citing health reasons. The Hornets hired Shelly Cayette-Weston in May as his replacement.
In February, Mitch Kupchak briefly moved into an advisory role from his general manager position while the team conducted a search for a new president of basketball operations, a job that went to Jeff Peterson in March.
Jordan began working for the franchise in 2013 after serving as an advisor to the chairman’s support team for three years. During his tenure with the organization, he held several important positions, including a seven-month stint as interim president in 2023-24. He was also the president of the Charlotte Hornets Foundation for the past several years, spearheading the team’s charitable efforts throughout the region.
It’s unclear if the Hornets will hire a replacement for Jordan.
“We want to thank James for all he has done for HSE over the last 11 years,” Schnall and Plotkin said in a statement. “James has been a tremendous help to the both of us during our ownership transition, and played an important role during that time, including serving as interim president.
“He has been a driving force internally with the business side, the arena renovations and our soon-to-be constructed performance center. We truly appreciate his passion, commitment and exemplary leadership, and we feel fortunate that he will remain with the organization in an advisory capacity.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 11:04 AM.
