Charlotte Hornets owners Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall are throwing their support behind efforts to bring WNBA basketball back to the Queen City through a bid to revive the Charlotte Sting franchise.

A bid has been submitted to bring a WNBA team back to Charlotte. Why it matters: Charlotte's first WNBA franchise, the Charlotte Sting, folded nearly two decades ago, but support for women's sports has transformed since the early 2000s, giving WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert confidence to aim for a 16-team league by 2028.

The Charlotte Hornets want the WNBA to feel the sting in the Queen City. The NBA team is backing a push to bring back a WNBA team to the Charlotte area.

The owners of the Charlotte Hornets are voicing their support for the return of women’s professional basketball in the Queen City.

The Charlotte Hornets are supporting the effort to bring the Charlotte Sting back to the Queen City as part of WNBA expansion, an organization spokesperson told WCNC Charlotte's Nick Carboni. According to WUNC,

In a statement to WUNC, the Charlotte Hornets confirmed its ownership group is backing a bid to bring a WNBA expansion franchise to Charlotte. The Sting played in Charlotte from 1997 to 2006.