In the wake of the franchise’s announcement that it will be joining the NBA 2K League for season three, Hornets Venom GT has already been busy with important behind the scenes work, including hiring staff and connecting with the community.
As the team is in the later stages of selecting someone to handle player personnel duties, Hornets Sports & Entertainment Senior Manager of Esports & Innovation Nicole Blackman told DIMER that Hornets Venom GT intends to hire one individual to fill the roles of both general manager and head coach.
Blackman also indicated Hornets Venom intends to introduce that person in the coming months. She did not, however, specifically denote a selection had already been made.
When Hornets Venom GT introduces that person, it will join the majority of other NBA 2K League franchises that have head coaches. Many of those individuals also serve as general manager for the franchises as well.
Blackman is pleased with the progress of other aspects of building the franchise. That begins with the response from the Charlotte community to the franchise’s unveiling.
“We have seen good engagement so far,” Blackman said in an emailed statement. “We had [NBA 2K League Managing Director] Brendan Donohue in town on Thursday in conjunction with the announcement of the name and logo. He did interviews with five local TV stations, two local sports radio stations and the Charlotte Business Journal.”
Hornets Venom GT is looking for connections with local players of the NBA 2K franchise’s retail build as well.
“We are working on determining the best ways to connect with local players. We have several concepts in mind but none that we are able to share publicly as of yet,” Blackman explained.
As the team looks to shore up other business aspects of its operations, one potential local sponsor is Novant Healthcare, the official healthcare provider of the NBA Hornets. Blackman didn’t specify whether that relationship would extend to include Hornets Venom GT right now.
“As with many of our Hornets partners, we will look to determine whether it makes sense to engage with our healthcare partner as a potential partner for Hornets Venom GT,” Blackman said.
Another facet of the franchise that is soon to be expanded is merchandise offerings. Champion-brand T-shirts bearing the team logo and name were available upon unveiling at the Hornets team store and website. Blackman stated that she anticipates having additional merchandise available soon.
That could include New Era caps, Scuf controllers and Stance socks, brands which are currently affiliated with the NBA 2K League and produce merchandise for the league’s 21 participating teams.
Blackman also indicated that the process of identifying a training facility for the team has begun. That’s another announcement that should be delivered in the coming months.