Bobcats unveil new 'Charlotte Hornets' logo shirts, hats and gear

The Bobcats have unveiled new "Charlotte Hornets" logo gear. (Bobcats.com) The Bobcats won't officially re-brand as the "Charlotte Hornets" until after the

The Bobcats have unveiled new "Charlotte Hornets" logo gear. (Bobcats.com)

The Bobcats won't officially re-brand as the "Charlotte Hornets" until after the 2013-14 season, but that hasn't stopped them from unveiling shirts and hats that bear the team's new logos.

Owner Michael Jordan unveiled new logos for the Hornets during a halftime ceremony back in December, and gear bearing that artwork will be available for purchase at the team store later this week.

The new primary logo, set in a teal and purple color combination, features a head-on look at a Hornet with a basketball design and the words "Charlotte Hornets" in block letters.

The primary logo utilizes the purple and teal color palette and features an aggressive-looking hornet that is ready to attack. Its piercing eyes, raised antennae, expanded wings and pointed stinger depict its relentless intensity. Incorporated within the logo is a basketball that doubles as the hornet’s body. The Charlotte Hornets wordmark is written across the insect. The logo contains several odes to that of the original Hornets with its white wings, white accents within its eyes, a stinger and the inclusion of a basketball.

The primary logo can now be seen on the shirts below.

The Charlotte Hornets' new primary logo on a white shirt. (Bobcats.com)

The Charlotte Hornets' new primary logo on a black shirt. (Bobcats.com)

Charlotte's new alternate logo featured a profile look at the Hornet, which again has a basketball incorporated.

The secondary logo features a side view of the hornet in an attacking position with elongated wings, aggressive eyes and extended stinger. The body once again consists of a basketball, while the curled body shape represents the letter “C” for the city of Charlotte.

Here's a look at the alternate logo on a shirt.

The Charlotte Hornets' new alternate logo on a gray shirt. (Bobcats.com)

Jordan announced in May that the Bobcats would re-brand as the Hornets shortly after the New Orleans Hornets relinquished the nickname by becoming the “Pelicans” for this season. The original Hornets joined the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1988 and spent 14 seasons in Charlotte before being moved to New Orleans by former owner George Shinn in 2002. Shinn opted to keep the nickname but eventually sold the franchise to the NBA in 2010. In April 2012, the league sold the franchise to Tom Benson, who sought the Pelicans name change to better reflect the team’s home.

The Bobcats joined the NBA as an expansion franchise in 2004. Jordan purchased a majority stake in the Bobcats in 2010. While Bobcats are indigenous to the Carolinas, the Charlotte Observer noted last December that the “Charlotte Hornets” moniker drew its inspiration from the 1700s.

The Hornets nickname in Charlotte dates back to the Revolutionary War, when British General Charles Cornwallis compared the resistance in Charlotte to a hornet’s nest. It has been used in sports by a minor league baseball team (1901-73), an upstart football league team (1974-75) and the city’s first NBA franchise.

Charlotte announced in November that the new Hornets would take on the original Hornets’ popular teal and purple color scheme. The planned re-brand was met with wide approval by the organization's fans.