With the NBA currently soaring in popularity and New Orleans’ professional basketball franchise thriving, it’s easy to forget how bleak the situation once was for the latter in the early 2010s. The then-Hornets’ future was in jeopardy when the NBA was forced to assume ownership of the team, which then was forced to trade perennial All-Star guard Chris Paul. There were reports that the club might be headed elsewhere, with potential out-of-town buyers poised to pounce.
“The objective was to keep it in New Orleans,” remembered Jac Sperling, who was hired by the NBA to help facilitate a deal with a new owner.