When Seth Bennett woke up Tuesday morning, there was one thing on his mind.
“First, a big exhale that we made it to this point,” the Charlotte Hornets’ chief marketing officer said. “Having to work through this for several years and the number of team members here that contributed to it, you’re probably the most happy for them.
“I don’t know that we’ve been able to debut it on court as quickly as we are. So it’s going to be pretty exciting to be here on Saturday, and see that as well.”
Bennett is referring to the latest merchandise brainchild: City Edition Remix uniforms named “Hoopers Paradise.” It’s part of the NBA’s effort to bring back or switch up previous City Edition designs, and the Hornets decided to remix their 2021-22 City Edition uniforms, utilizing bold colors to highlight some of the city of Charlotte’s history.
Kon Knueppel, Grant Willliams, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball model the Charlotte Hornets’ 2025-26 City Edition remix uniforms. Photo courtesy Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte and the organization are central to the design’s representation. The color palette takes inspiration from the Birds of Paradise flower, which was named by Queen Charlotte, linking the theme back to the city.
The transition from Birds of Paradise to “Hoopers Paradise” connects the flower’s story to basketball and the fan base. The inclusion of orange in the palette acknowledges both the Bobcats era and the flower, bridging a decade of franchise history and bringing in fans from the earlier team identity.
Special attention was paid to the placement of city names, numbers, and logos for both aesthetic and symbolic value, and Bennett couldn’t be more pleased with how things turned out.
“When you try something as aggressive with this color palette, you always worry, ‘How will it translate to the uniform chassis, as we call it?’” Bennett said. “And through several layers in that process, we’re able to get the colors to kind of tell a nice combined story.”
In fact, the vision came to Bennett really by happenstance.
“I was on an NBA meeting trip several months ago, and I walked outside my hotel,” Bennett said, “and the first time I’d actually seen that flower was outside that hotel in Los Angeles.”
In putting the design together, the Hornets attempted to tell the story about the organization’s evolution since entering the league in its inaugural season in 1988-89.
Kon Knueppel, Grant Willliams, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball model the Charlotte Hornets’ 2025-26 City Edition remix uniforms Photo courtesy Charlotte Hornets
The shorts boast a classic Hornets’ logo and features an “H” with a “Buzz City” splashed across, acknowledging the waistband of the original uniforms in 1988. The jersey has the city’s name written script, representing the look of the pennants hanging in the background once the franchise’s uniforms were released.
Number placement pays homage to the look worn by the Bobcats from 2004-09 and 2012-14, which was also an important era for the franchise as pro basketball returned to Charlotte.
“Having the ability to include that 10-year span, we know there are fans who grew up only familiar with the Bobcats before we were able to bring the Hornet name back,” Bennett said. “So, there was a nice way to connect that as well. But the majority of that inspiration came from the colors of the flower.
“But it was also more confirmation that it was meant to be for us, because the person who named it was Queen Charlotte. And the colors here so happen. It’s almost as if she had a look ahead to understand of what NBA basketball would mean here in Charlotte.”
The Hornets will wear the uniforms 12 times during the 2025-26 season — all in the comforts of Spectrum Center — beginning with Saturday’s date against defending NBA champion Oklahoma City. To further enhance the experience, the Hornets will play on the “Hoopers Paradise” court. The court design is a key element for immersive fan experience, and has silhouettes of North and South Carolina and a basketball symbolizing Charlotte as the region’s hub.
It’s the first time both states have appeared on the court.
“I think it completes it,” Bennett said. “It creates a more immersive experience in the arena that go along with our digital signage, and things that you’ll see actually on game nights. Certainly it gives us a bigger canvas to give that nod to the region.
“So, that part kind of expands the storytelling and kind of adds a nice, complete asset to it.”