Thank you Bob Johnson!

[King Taharqa]

This is a thread Im dedicating to our owner and founder Bob Johnson. The Charlotte Bobcats are an organization that has made an impact in the community and is now begining to make an impact on the court. If not for Bob's dream and vision of bringing pro basketball back to Charlotte, NC none of this would be happening.

So many times in the local media and blogs people who are opposed to our owner are greatly represented, while those of us who are happy with the job he and the front office have done so far are not. I consider myself one of those fans. Im proud of the fact this team stays out of trouble off the court yet strives to be active in the community. I take pride in the fact the Bobcats recognize Black History Month and we have an owner who always schedules games on Martin Luther King Day. Bob Johnson is the first african american majority owner of a pro sports franchise, and that is something many african american entrepreneurs and businessmen can appreciate. He's aimed to bring people of all walks of life together and has built the Bobcats around embracing diversity. Under his guidance the Bobcats have a top 3 arena with naming rights, a HOF coach, the greatest basketball player ever making personnel decisions, and a future that is very bright. I feel confident that whomever the next owner of the Bobcats will be, they will be inheriting an organization commited to winning. All of this is possible, because of the hard work & dilligence of our owner & founder Robert L. Johnson. I salute you Bob!

[Porn Shop Clerk]

I think he gets a lot of flack that he doesn't deserve.

[Hotsauce]

This is a thread Im dedicating to our owner and founder Bob Johnson. The Charlotte Bobcats are an organization that has made an impact in the community and is now begining to make an impact on the court. If not for Bob's dream and vision of bringing pro basketball back to Charlotte, NC none of this would be happening.

So many times in the local media and blogs people who are opposed to our owner are greatly represented, while those of us who are happy with the job he and the front office have done so far are not. I consider myself one of those fans. Im proud of the fact this team stays out of trouble off the court yet strives to be active in the community. I take pride in the fact the Bobcats recognize Black History Month and we have an owner who always schedules games on Martin Luther King Day. Bob Johnson is the first african american majority owner of a pro sports franchise, and that is something many african american entrepreneurs and businessmen can appreciate. He's aimed to bring people of all walks of life together and has built the Bobcats around embracing diversity. Under his guidance the Bobcats have a top 3 arena with naming rights, a HOF coach, the greatest basketball player ever making personnel decisions, and a future that is very bright. I feel confident that whomever the next owner of the Bobcats will be, they will be inheriting an organization commited to winning. All of this is possible, because of the hard work & dilligence of our owner & founder Robert L. Johnson. I salute you Bob!

So that is what he looks like.

[Panthers128]

hey he paid okafor, wallace and larry brown despite the team losing millions.not all owners are hands on.

i'm thankful for the team as well.

[Cyclonus]

I'm thankful he brought us the Bobcats but that's about it. Now I'm thankful that he's selling and getting out of town. He's one of the worst owners in the league.

[King Taharqa]

I'm thankful he brought us the Bobcats but that's about it. Now I'm thankful that he's selling and getting out of town. He's one of the worst owners in the league.

Im curious, when you say he's one of the worst owners in the league, what do you base that on? The product he puts on the court? The Bobcats facility? His ability to retain our players or attract FAs? I hear people level criticisms at Bob all the time, but when I ask them to go deeper, the best they can tell me is "I dont like him cuz he owned BET once" or "he doesnt come to the games". Im still waiting for someone to explain to me how our team's founder is holding us back.

[Jackofalltrades]

First black owner was a lofty acheivement, but I still wonder if that was his primary motive.

I'm not sold on Bob, I'd rather see him go at this point and hand it over to someone more capable and knowledgable.

[Hugor Hill]

First black owner was a lofty acheivement, but I still wonder if that was his primary motive.

I'm not sold on Bob, I'd rather see him go at this point and hand it over to someone more capable and knowledgable.

His primary motive was to make a major sports network, C-SET, with Bobs-cats games on it.(I guess like the Yankee network thing) Once that went the way of the do-do, he stopped caring. And he didn't bring us the Bobcats. The NBA had already given us back a team and had a bidding war for a new ownership, which I wish like hell had been Larry Bird's people. I can't stand it when people say Bob Johnson brought us back the NBA. He was just in the right place at the right time.

[King Taharqa]

His primary motive was to make a major sports network, C-SET, with Bobs-cats games on it.(I guess like the Yankee network thing) Once that went the way of the do-do, he stopped caring.

He stopped caring how? Please elaborate. Bob cares deeply about the current playoff run the Bobcats are enjoying right now.

And he didn't bring us the Bobcats. The NBA had already given us back a team and had a bidding war for a new ownership, which I wish like hell had been Larry Bird's people. I can't stand it when people say Bob Johnson brought us back the NBA. He was just in the right place at the right time.

Bob put up the money and owns the arena. He had the better proposal which is why the 30 other owners picked him. He still breaks bread with those guys to this day. He brought pro basketball back to NC. He got Mike involved, something Shinn wasnt savvy enough to pull off. Now with Brown we're doing some pretty special things on the basketball court. Bird is in Indy right now as head of basketball operations. I wouldnt say they're doing better than the Bobcats right now.

[pdandy1994]

Bob Johnson built a brand new arena in downtown charlotte after residents in Charlotte stated that they did NOT want a brand new arena, yet he did anyways.

[King Taharqa]

Bob Johnson built a brand new arena in downtown charlotte after residents in Charlotte stated that they did NOT want a brand new arena, yet he did anyways.

Thats an urban legend. Elected city officials signed off on TWC Arena, Bob Johnson did not take over downtown Charlotte with armored guard and build it. LOL. That arena is one of the main reasons there's been a tremendous growth downtown so much praise to former Mayor McCrory, Bob, Hugh McColl and other city leaders had the vision to get it done. Time Warner Cable Arena has brought and will continue to bring alot of money to the city of Charlotte for years to come. NCAA, ACC, CIAA, Bobcats basketball (soon to be NBA playoffs), your favorite rock star/r&b/rap acts, EVERYTHING! Thank you Bob.

[Porn Shop Clerk]

Bunch of ignorance in this thread, and that's sad.

Makes honkies feel insecure to see a black man succeed far past their own capabilities.

[Vagrant]

I never liked Bob. It seemed like he did everything with racial implications in mind. I don't like anybody that operates that way. I know that I felt excluded from the Bobcats for the first few seasons because of the overwhelming racial elements at play. Mostly black cheer squad, mostly black coaching staff, mostly black employees, partners with Nelly, the games aired on UPN for goodness sake. It seemed to me that Bob went too far out of his way to promote black people to fill roles and that made me feel like an outsider and as a person that didn't belong there. I don't consider myself to be a racist person and I am honored that the first black owner of a sports franchise was in North Carolina, but at some point it became obvious that Bob was simply operating this way because of his own personal motivations and that was disheartening.

I don't think it's any coincidence that when the team became more racial friendly to those other than black people the overall product improved. We now have a fine mix of all different ethnic groups represented and the best minds for the best jobs. Nobody is handicapped by their skin color and that is how it should be. Larry Brown was the best head coach available so they took him. Jordan was the best front office presence so they grabbed him.

It's ironic because now we don't have white players on the team, but for the first time I feel that there are aspects to Bobcat basketball that I can relate to and enjoy as a fan. I think now that the product is not so exclusive to one race, we'll see the attendance improve also.

Diversity is key, not placing people in positions simply by the color of their skin. I am now so much more proud of the Cats for bringing that diversity to the team.

[King Taharqa]

It seemed to me that Bob went too far out of his way to promote black people to fill roles and that made me feel like an outsider and as a person that didn't belong there. I don't consider myself to be a racist person and I am honored that the first black owner of a sports franchise was in North Carolina, but at some point it became obvious that Bob was simply operating this way because of his own personal motivations and that was disheartening.

I appreciate your honesty that seeing so many successful black people bothered you and somewhat alienated you, but truly its a double standard. Someone could say alot of these EXACT same things about the Panthers and their "keep it in the family" attitude and refusal to market the team to anybody but older conservative white folks. When it comes to diversity and putting the best people in position to get the job done, the Bobcats are light years ahead of them. By the way, the Lady Cats have never been a majority black cheerleading squad and they have always had people from all walks of life working for them. People in this area just arent used to blacks in the corporate sector, so when Bob had so many of them in the front office people automatically assume they arent qualified or he only picked them cuz their black.