NBA mascot power rankings, best past and present

9. Hugo the Hornet: Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets

When the original Charlotte Hornets entered the NBA in 1988, they had the unenviable task of creating a mascot that wouldn’t scare off the youngsters. After all, Hornets aren’t exactly the most inviting creatures around.

So with that hurdle to clear, how did the team go about completing this task? Well, they got Jim Henson’s daughter to design it. The result was the friendliest bee you’ll ever see; an insect that wouldn’t look out of place roaming around Sesame Street.

The name was selected out of a possible 6,000 suggestions by fans. Despite some apprehension due to Hurricane Hugo, the moniker stuck and Hugo quickly became a fan favorite for a Hornets team that surged in popularity thanks to the young talent they accumulated in the early 1990s.

Even when Hugo moved with the team to New Orleans in 2002, his popularity didn’t wane. In fact, it was in New Orleans where Hugo was recognized by his peers as the Mascot of the Year in 2007.

When the then-Charlotte Bobcats acquired the rights to the Hornets’ name in 2014 after the New Orleans franchise rebranded itself as the Pelicans and introduced the world to two horrifying mascots, it opened the door for Hugo to return to the Queen City. This was much to the delight of Hornets fans who missed the franchise’s colors and identity.