NOCNew Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets

Franchise history

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on August 29, 2005, the flooding that followed left the city unable to host the Hornets, even though their arena itself suffered only minor damage. The NBA relocated the franchise for the 2005-06 season, and the team officially played as the "New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets," splitting its home schedule between the Ford Center in Oklahoma City -- which hosted the bulk of the games -- and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. Oklahoma City fans embraced the team, turning out at a rate roughly 78% higher than the Hornets had drawn in New Orleans.

On January 31, 2006, the NBA announced the Hornets would remain based primarily in Oklahoma City for a second season, 2006-07, to give New Orleans more time to rebuild, though the team opened that season with a game back in New Orleans on November 1, 2006. The arrangement ended after two seasons, and the Hornets returned to New Orleans full-time for 2007-08. The strong support Oklahoma City showed during this stint is widely credited with helping persuade the NBA that the market could sustain a franchise of its own, paving the way for the Seattle SuperSonics' relocation there as the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.

Sources

• Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets — Wikipedia
• How Hurricane Katrina upended the NBA landscape — ESPN