Charlotte Hornets helping aid push to bring back Charlotte Sting as WNBA expansion team
If the Hornets have their way, the WNBA and Charlotte will feel a sting in the near future.
Hornets Sports & Entertainment released a statement on Monday stating that it would back the push for the WNBA to bring back the Charlotte Sting, a franchise that played in the women’s league from 1997 to 2006.
According to WUNC, Erica Berman — a senior VP of CardWorks — and the Berman family are leading the charge in bidding for an expansion team in Charlotte.
“Hornets Sports & Entertainment believes strongly in the future growth of women’s basketball and the WNBA,” the Hornets ownership group said in a statement emailed to The Observer. “The Charlotte Sting have a storied history and a passionate fanbase within our community. We are proud to back the Berman family and be a part of this larger group that is bidding to bring the WNBA back to Charlotte.”
During the Sting’s initial WNBA run, the franchise posted a 143-179 record. The squad made the playoffs in six of its first seven seasons.
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley was notably among the members of the team during its initial iteration. Staley played for the Sting from 1999 to 2005. Staley was coached Temple University’s women’s basketball team during the majority of her tenure with the now-defunct WNBA franchise.
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 9:55 AM.
