8-3-23 roundup: Pro football, baseball, basketball and soccer, Legion baseball, NASCAR
By Richard Walker
The newest chapter in Charlotte Hornets history became official on Thursday as the NBA and the team announced Michael Jordan has sold his majority stake in the team to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rich Schnall.
The sale, which was approved by the NBA Board of Governors, immediately gives the Plotkin/Schnall group controlling interest of the team.
The Plotkin/Schnall reportedly paid for controlling interest at the team’s valuation of $3 billion and Jordan will remain in the group as a minority owner.
Plotkin and Schnall released the following statement:
“We want to thank Michael for this opportunity, as well as his support throughout this process. During his ownership, he brought stability to the Hornets franchise, achieved many business milestones, reconnected and reinvested in the Charlotte community and has the organization positioned for greater success. We look forward to building upon this success in the years to come.
“As lifelong fans of the game of basketball and the NBA, we’re well aware of the importance of the sport in the Carolinas and we’re thrilled to take a controlling stake in the Hornets. We’re excited about the organization’s future. Charlotte is a great city and a thriving sports town. The Hornets fan base is one of the most passionate in all of sports. It is a privilege to own an NBA team. We understand the Hornets are a community asset and it is our responsibility to be good stewards for this franchise representing our community and entire fan base.
“Our vision is to take the Hornets to the next level, both on and off the court. We will look to build a highly competitive basketball team, develop innovative business practices, give back to our community and connect with our fans. We plan to further invest in the team, the facilities and the fan experience, with the goal of delivering a winner to our fans throughout the Carolinas. We are confident that our successful business backgrounds and our previous experience as NBA minority owners will be beneficial as we shape the future of the franchise as a best-in-class organization.”
The Plotkin/Schnall ownership group is the 5th in Charlotte NBA team history.
Original Hornets owner George Shinn paid a $32.5 million NBA expansion entry fee on April 5, 1987 for a team that would begin play in the 1988-89 season.
After failing to reach an deal to make Jordan part of his ownership group in the spring of 1999, Shinn added Ray Wooldridge to his ownership group for an estimated $80 million on July 29, 1999.
When a referendum to earmark tax dollars for a new arena and negotiations with city officials to reach an agreement to build one, the Shinn-Wooldridge ownership filed a $250,000 application fee to NBA to for the original Hornets to leave Charlotte for New Orleans on Jan. 17, 2002 – a move that was later approved by the NBA and took place after the 2001-02 season.
Once city officials did reach an agreement to build what is now the Spectrum Center in uptown Charlotte, the city returned to the NBA as an expansion franchise again when Bob Johnson paid a $300 million entry fee on Dec. 18, 2002 for a team that would return to the league in the 2003-04 season.
Jordan, who had been a longtime advisor to Johnson, officially became the Bobcats’ majority owner for $275 million on Feb. 26, 2010 while also inheriting $150 million in debt.
Following negotiations with the New Orleans organization, the Bobcats were no more and the Hornets were reborn on May 20, 2014 with all records from the 1988-89 to 2001-02 seasons restored to Charlotte’s NBA history.
Jordan’s interest in selling was first reported by ESPN in March 2023.
Jordan released the following statement following Thursday’s announcement:
“The opportunity to be the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets in my home state of North Carolina for the last 13 years has been a tremendous honor. I’m proud of all that the organization accomplished: the exciting on-court moments, the return of the Hornets name, Charlotte hosting the 2019 NBA All-Star Game and HSE becoming a true pillar of this community. Through the years, the unwavering commitment, passion and loyalty of our Hornets fans has been incredible. As I transition into a minority ownership role, I’m thrilled to be able to pass the reins to two successful, innovative and strategic leaders in Gabe and Rick. I know the Hornets organization is in great hands moving forward. I’m excited about the future of the team and will continue to support the organization and the community in my new role in the years ahead.”
In their new roles, Plotkin and Schnall will serve as Co-Chairmen of HSE (Hornets Sports Entertainment) and will rotate the team’s governorship every five years, beginning with Schnall.
Schnall, who will serve as Co-Chairman and Governor, had been a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks and an alternate governor on the NBA Board of Governors since 2015. While with the Hawks, Schnall was involved in various aspects of the organization’s building process as well as the renovations to State Farm Arena. Schnall is co-president of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC, where he has worked for 27 years.
Plotkin, who will serve as Co-Chairman and Alternate Governor, originally acquired a minority stake in the Hornets in 2019. He has been an alternate governor on the NBA Board of Governors since 2019. Plotkin is the founder and chief investment officer of Tallwoods Capital LLC.
Others in the Plotkin/Schnall ownership group includes Chris Shumway, Dan Sundheim, Ian Loring, Andrew Schwartzberg, Dyal HomeCourt Partners, North Carolina native recording artists J. Cole and Eric Church, and several local Charlotte investors, including Amy Levine Dawson, Damian Mills and Gastonia’s Andy Warlick among others.
Jordan will retain a minority ownership share of the team and will also serve as alternate governor.
In addition to owning the Hornets, the HSE ownership includes the NBA G League Greensboro Swarm, the NBA 2K League Hornets Venom GT as well as managing and operating Spectrum Center.
Pro soccer
Charlotte FC 0, Cruz Azul 0: Charlotte FC’s Kristijan Kahlina made three penalty kick shootout saves to lead the team to a 4-3 shootout victory and to the Round of 16 of the Leagues Cup.
Charlotte FC next plays at Houston Dynamo FC Monday night for a spot in the Round of 8.
Here is Charlotte FC’s full 2023 schedule with results:
(7-8-8 record)
Feb. 25 New England Revolution (L 0-1)
March 4 at St. Louis City SC (L 1-3)
March 11 Atlanta United FC (L 0-3)
March 18 at Orlando City SC (W 2-1)
March 25 New York Red Bulls (T 1-1)
April 1 at Toronto FC (T 2-2)
April 8 at Real Salt Lake (L 1-3)
April 15 Colorado Rapids (T 2-2)
April 22 Columbus Crew (W 1-0)
April 29 at D.C. United (L 0-3)
May 6 New York City FC (W 3-2)
May 13 at Atlanta United FC (W 3-1)
May 17 Chicago Fire FC (W 2-1)
May 20 Nashville SC (L 1-2)
May 27 at L.A. Galaxy (W 1-0)
May 31 at Philadelphia Union (L 0-1)
June 3 at Columbus Crew (W 4-2)
June 10 Seattle Sounders FC (T 3-3)
June 21 at New York Red Bulls (T 2-2)
June 24 CF Montreal (T 0-0)
July 5 at New York City FC (T 1-1)
July 8 FC Cincinnati (T 2-2)
July 15 at CF Montreal (L 0-2)
Aug. 20 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 L.A. FC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at Nashville SC, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 at FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 30 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 Inter Miami CF, TBD
(Leagues Cup schedule – Group stage)
July 21 at FC Dallas (T 2-2, wins 4-1 on penalty kicks)
July 29 Necaxa (W 4-1)
(Round of 32)
Aug. 3 Cruz Azul (at Dallas TX) (T 0-0, wins 4-3 on penalty kicks)
Aug. 7 at Houston Dynamo
Pro basketball
Former Gardner-Webb basketball standout Kareem Reid has signed his first pro contract, the school announced on Wednesday.
Reid has signed with Politechnika Opolska of the Polish League.
Reid ended his career at G-W by averaging 11.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. In his career, Reid had 972 points, 549 rebounds (8th-most in Division-I history) and 171 blocks (2nd-most in D-I history).
Legion baseball
Results from Region 3 (Southeast Regional) at Asheboro and hosted by Randolph County Post 45:
(Aug. 2 games)
Game 1: Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9 d. Evans (Ga.) Post 192, 5-1
Game 2: Richmond (Va.) Post 361 d. Belleview (Fla.) Post 284, 7-4
Game 3: Florence (S.C.) Post 1 d. Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) Post 116, 9-5
Game 4: Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19 d. Randolph County (N.C.) Post 45, 7-5
(Aug. 3 games)
Game 5: Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) Post 116 d. Evans (Ga.) Post 192, 6-1
Game 6: Randolph County (N.C.) Post 45 d. Belleview (Fla.) Post 284, 3-0
Game 7: Florence (S.C.) Post 1 d. Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9, 9-6
Game 8: Richmond (Va.) Post 361 d. Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19, 6-3
(Aug. 4 games)
Game 9: Randolph County (N.C.) Post 45 vs. Owensboro (Ky.) Post 9, 12:30 p.m.
Game 10: Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) Post 116 vs. Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19, 4:30 p.m.
Game 11: Florence (S.C.) Post 1 vs. Richmond (Va.) Post 361, 7:30 p.m.
(Aug. 5 games)
Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 loser, 4:30 p.m.
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 7:30 p.m.
(Aug. 6 games)
Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 1:30 p.m.
Game 15: if necessary, 4:30 p.m.
Pro baseball
Norfolk 3, Charlotte 1 (10 innings): Norfolk’s Josh Lester hit a 2-run walkoff home run as the Tides won the 4th game of the 7-game series in Norfolk. The 5th game is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Friday night at Norfolk’s Harbor Park.
Here is the full Charlotte Knights’ 2023 schedule:
Overall record: 40-65
First half record: 35-40
Second half record: 5-25
-First half
March 31-April 2 Louisville (2-1)
April 4-9 at Columbus (3-3)
April 11-16 Jacksonville (3-3)
April 18-23 at Louisville (2-4)
April 25-30 Norfolk (2-4)
May 2-7 at Gwinnett (4-2)
May 9-14 Durham (3-3)
May 16-21 Scranton-Wilkes Barre (2-4)
May 23-28 at Jacksonville (4-2)
May 30-June 4 Nashville (3-3)
June 6-11 at Gwinnett (1-5)
June 13-18 at Durham (3-3)
June 20-25 Louisville (3-3)
-Second half
June 28-July 3 at Norfolk (1-4)
July 4-9 Jacksonville (1-5)
July 14-16 at Lehigh Valley (0-3)
July 18-23 Memphis (1-5)
July 25-30 at Durham (1-5)
Aug. 1-6 at Norfolk (1-3)
Aug. 8-13 Gwinnett
Aug. 15-20 at Nashville
Aug. 22-24, 26-27 Memphis
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 at Jacksonville
Sept. 5-10 Durham
Sept. 12-17 Nashville
Sept. 18-24 at Memphis
High Point at Gastonia: Thursday’s game was postponed to a later date due to inclement weather.
Here is the full Gastonia Honey Hunters’ 2023 schedule:
Overall record: 52-32
First half record: 41-22
Second half record: 11-10
-First half
April (3-0)
28 Spire City (W 10-4)
29 Spire City (W 8-6)
30 Spire City (W 7-4)
May (17-9)
2 at So. Maryland (W 8-6)
3 at So. Maryland (W 11-6)
4 at So. Maryland (L 2-4)
5 at Long Island (W 3-2)
6 at Long Island (L 1-3)
7 at Long Island (L 4-6)
9 Spire City (W 2-1 in 10)
10 Spire City (W 10-0)
11 Spire City (W 9-7)
12 at High Point (L 5-8)
13 at High Point (W 12-5)
14 at High Point (L 3-4)
16 Charleston, W.Va. (W 13-4)
17 Charleston, W.Va. (W 4-2)
18 Charleston, W.Va. (L 4-6)
19 at Lexington (W 15-2)
20 at Lexington (W 8-0)
21 at Lexington (W 5-3)
23 at Spire City (W 6-0)
24 at Spire City (W 8-5)
25 at Spire City (W 8-3)
26 Lancaster (L 3-4 in 11)
27 Lancaster (ppd., rain)
28 Lancaster (ppd., rain)
29 Lancaster (W 9-1)
29 Lancaster (L 3-4)
30 High Point (L 8-10)
31 High Point (W 14-10)
June (19-8)
1 High Point (W 7-4)
2 Lexington (W 3-2)
3 Lexington (W 10-1)
4 Lexington (W 4-1)
6 at Charleston, W.Va. (W 4-1)
7 at Charleston, W.Va. (L 1-13)
8 at Charleston, W.Va. (L 2-4)
9 at Spire City (W 5-4)
10 at Spire City (W 12-7)
11 at Spire City (L 6-9)
13 So. Maryland (W 5-0)
14 So. Maryland (L 9-10)
15 So. Maryland (W 11-6)
16 Staten Island (W 5-4)
17 Staten Island (W 7-5)
18 Staten Island (W 5-1)
20 at Lancaster (L 0-6)
21 at Lancaster (W 9-7)
22 at Lancaster (W 4-1)
22 at Lancaster (L 2-6)
24 at Staten Island (W 12-3)
25 at Staten Island (L 2-7)
27 High Point (W 8-3)
28 High Point (W 7-3)
29 High Point (L 1-11)
30 So. Maryland (W 15-0)
July (13-13)
1 So. Maryland (L 6-7)
1 So. Maryland (W 8-7)
2 So. Maryland (W 3-2 in 10)
4 at Spire City (L 3-4)
5 at Spire City (L 8-18)
6 at Spire City (L 4-6)
7 at High Point (L 1-8)
-Second half
8 at High Point (W 7-2)
9 at High Point (L 13-14)
11 at Charleston, W.Va. (W 5-3)
12 at Charleston, W.Va. (W 2-1)
13 at Charleston, W.Va. (ppd.)
14 Staten Island (W 7-3)
15 Staten Island (L 10-12 in 10)
16 Staten Island (W 13-8)
18 High Point (W 6-5)
19 High Point (L 5-9)
20 High Point (W 10-5)
21 at So. Maryland (L 9-11)
22 at So. Maryland (W 8-6)
23 at So. Maryland (L 8-12)
25 at Staten Island (W 10-2)
26 at Staten Island (L 3-8)
27 at Staten Island (W 17-5)
28 at Long Island (L 1-18)
29 at Long Island (W 12-5)
30 at Long Island (L 2-4)
August (0-2)
1 High Point (L 3-6)
2 High Point (L 3-7)
3 High Point
4 Lexington
5 Lexington
6 Lexington
8 Spire City
9 Spire City
10 Spire City
11 at Long Island
12 at Long Island
13 at Long Island
15 York
16 York
17 York
18 Lexington
19 Lexington
20 Lexington
22 at Long Island
23 at Long Island
24 at Long Island
25 at Lancaster
26 at Lancaster
27 at Lancaster
29 Spire City
30 Spire City
31 Spire City
September
1 So. Maryland
2 So. Maryland
3 So. Maryland
4 So. Maryland
5 at High Point
6 at High Point
7 at High Point
8 Charleston, W.Va.
9 Charleston, W.Va.
10 Charleston, W.Va.
12 So. Maryland
13 So. Maryland
14 So. Maryland
15 at Lexington
16 at Lexington
17 at Lexington
Pro football
Attendance at Wednesday’s Carolina Panthers’ Fan Fest was 39,522 at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium with many fans sitting in the midfield sections of the upper deck.
“What a great crowd out there on a Wednesday night,” first-year Panthers head coach Frank Reich said. “I don’t know how many were out there, but it felt like a lot. The players fed off that.”
Among those at the game were 24 former Panthers players who were introduced to the fans before a controlled scrimmage by the current team.
Carolina Panthers alumni to attend on Wednesday were: Al Wallace, Charles Johnson, Ryne Robinson, Richard Huntley, Luther Broughton, Rhys Lloyd, Omar Gaither, Curtis Deloatch, Carlton Bailey, Don Sasa, Kawann Short, Quinton Teal, Mike Tolbert, Dwight Stone, Captain Munnerlyn, Dwan Edwards, Mark Rodenhauser, Mike Rucker, Leonard Wheeler, Nate Salley, James Anderson, Chris Gamble, Hilee Taylor and Tre Boston.
The Carolina Panthers’ training camp schedule:
Practices (at Wofford unless noted):
July 26-27 10:15 a.m.
July 29 11 a.m.
July 31 10:25 a.m.
Aug. 1 10:15 p.m.
Aug. 2 Fan Fest at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, 7 p.m.
Aug. 4 10:25 a.m.
Aug. 5-6 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 8 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 9 Joint practice with N.Y. Jets, 10:15 a.m.
Aug. 10 Joint practice with N.Y. Jets, 9 a.m.
Here is the 2023 preseason and regular season schedule for the Carolina Panthers:
(Preseason)
Aug. 12 N.Y. Jets, 4 p.m.
Aug. 18 at N.Y. Giants, 7 p.m.
Aug. 25 Detroit, 8 p.m.
(Regular season)
Sept. 10 at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Sept. 18 New Orleans, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 24 at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.
Oct. 1 Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Oct. 8 at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Oct. 15 at Miami, 1 p.m.
Oct. 22 OFF WEEK
Oct. 29 Houston, 1 p.m.
Nov. 5 Indianapolis, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 9 at Chicago, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 19 Dallas, 1 p.m.
Nov. 26 at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Dec. 3 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Dec. 10 at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 17-18 Atlanta, TBD
Dec. 24 Green Bay, 1 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Jan. 6-7 Tampa Bay, TBD
Pro basketball
The Charlotte Hornets 2023 preseason schedule:
Oct. 10 at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 12 at Washington Wizards, 7 p.m.
Oct. 15 Oklahoma City, 5 p.m.
Oct. 19 Boston Celtics, 7 p.m.
Auto racing
The 2023 NASCAR schedule (with winners in parentheses):
Feb 5 Clash at The Coliseum, Los Angeles CA (Martin Truex, Jr.)
Feb 16 Duel No. 1, Daytona Beach FL (Joey Logano)
Feb 16 Duel No. 2, Daytona Beach FL (Aric Almirola)
Feb 19 Daytona 500, Daytona Beach FL (Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.)
Feb 26 NASCAR Cup Series at California, Fontana CA (Kyle Busch)
Mar 5 NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV (William Byron)
Mar 12 NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, Avondale AZ (William Byron-2)
Mar 19 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA (Joey Logano-2)
Mar 26 NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of the Americas, Austin TX (Tyler Reddick)
Apr 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond, Richmond VA (Kyle Larson)
Apr 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, Bristol TN (Christopher Bell)
Apr 16 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Martinsville VA (Kyle Larson-2)
Apr 23 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Lincoln AL (Kyle Busch-2)
May 1 NASCAR Cup Series at Dover, Dover DE (Martin Truex, Jr.-2)
May 7 NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas, Kansas City KS (Denny Hamlin)
May 14 NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, Darlington SC (William Byron-3)
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open Race, North Wilkesboro NC (Josh Berry)
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro NC (Kyle Larson-3)
May 29 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC (Ryan Blaney)
Jun 4 NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison IL (Kyle Busch-3)
Jun 11 NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma, Sonoma CA (Martin Truex, Jr.-3)
Jun 25 NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville, Lebanon TN (Ross Chastain)
Jul 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Chicago, Chicago IL (Shane van Gisbergen)
Jul 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA (William Byron-4)
Jul 17 NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire, Loudon NH, noon on USA (Martin Truex, Jr.-4)
Jul 23 NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono, Long Pond PA, 2:30 p.m. on USA (Denny Hamlin-2)
Jul 30 NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond, Richmond VA, 3 p.m. on USA (Chris Buescher)
Aug 6 NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan, Brooklyn MI, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Aug 13 NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Road Course, Speedway IN, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Aug 20 NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen NY, 3 p.m. on USA
Aug 26 NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona, Daytona Beach FL, 7 p.m. on NBC
(Cup Playoffs)
Sep 3 NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, Darlington SC, 6 p.m. on USA
Sep 10 NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas, Kansas City KS, 3 p.m. on USA
Sep 16 NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, Bristol TN, 7:30 p.m. on USA
Sep 24 NASCAR Cup Series at Texas, Fort Worth TX, 3:30 p.m. on USA
Oct 1 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Lincoln AL, 2 p.m. on NBC
Oct 8 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC, 2 p.m. on NBC
Oct 15 NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Oct 22 NASCAR Cup Series at Miami, Homestead FL, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Oct 29 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Martinsville, 2 p.m. on NBC
Nov 5 NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, Avondale AZ, 3 p.m. on NBC