The Hive ...

"There's a rebel behind every bush, it's a veritable nest of hornets."*

My mate Dren took inspiration from the legendary Charlotte Hornets when he took time to make his AF1 ID at the Force Club last month . If you remember the Hornets were the best team in terms of merchandising during most of the 90's , seducing the youngests with the freshest team color scheme in the NBA . Teal and purple ... the combo was so hot , some NBA teams tried to copy the style with less success .

Between 1988 and 2002 , "The Hive" , the Charlotte Coliseum was the hottest arena in the league , selling out all seats until last seasons . Larry Johnson , Mugsy Bogues , Alonzo Mourning , Eddie Jones , Baron Davis or Bobby Phills among others , played with pride in North Carolina , a state known for its passion for basketball . But more than that they succeed to put the city on the map , leaving the shadow of Chapell Hill , home of the University Of North Carolina , Michael Jordan's college .

A dark cloud surrounded the Hornets in 2001 as the city of Charlotte refused to give funding to a new arena unless scandalous owner George Shinn sold the team . Indeed Shinn , the pariah , had never allowed the team to reach its goals , refusing each time to pay new contracts to his all-star players , forcing trades to keep the money . This added to legal problems was too much for the North Carolina fans ...

In 2002 Shinn left town with the team , heading to N'awlins . This move was one of the signs that marked the end of the golden years the league lived .

*Originally to be named the Charlotte Spirit , the team was renamed the Charlotte Hornets after the objection of the local fans . During the revolutionary war , Brititsh General Cornwallis remarked about the resistance met in North Carolina "There's a rebel behind every bush , it's a veritable nest of hornets ."

Thank Dren kidz fo' blessin' ya eyes wit' da shit !