George Shinn
George Shinn | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Known for | former owner of the Charlotte / New Orleans Hornets |
Spouse | Megan |
George Shinn (born May 11, 1941) is an American businessman. He is the former owner of the
Early life and education
Shinn was born in
Career
Shinn worked in a
The George Shinn Foundation was founded in 1973.
Megan Shinn, George's wife, serves as the Foundation's president.
Awards and honors
- 2009 – Weiss Award (New Orleans Council for Community and Justice)
- 2009 – American Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year (New Orleans chapter)
- 1975 Horatio Alger Award. The youngest ever (at the time) at 34.
Writings
Shinn is the author of half a dozen books including The Miracle of Motivation, The American Dream Still Works, and You Gotta Believe! The Story of the Charlotte Hornets.[5]
Sexual assault trial and departure of team to New Orleans
Shinn was accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Charlotte woman.[6] A jury rejected the claims at trial in December 1999, but Shinn admitted in court to having two sexual relationships outside of his marriage, which damaged his reputation. The trial was broadcast nationwide on Court TV and drew some of the cable network's highest ratings at the time.[7]
The trial and his subsequent tarnished reputation was one of the key reasons for the move from Charlotte to New Orleans.[8]
Hornets buyout
In April 2010, Shinn started considering selling his majority share of the Hornets to Gary Chouest, who had bought 25% of the team.[9] The negotiations stalled due to the team's financial issues.[10] Because Shinn was not in a financial position to continue to run the team, the NBA was expected to purchase and run the team while looking for a local owner.[11] The NBA completed its purchase of the Hornets from George Shinn and Gary Chouest in December 2010 for an estimated $300 million.[12]
Personal life
Shinn is married to Megan Shinn and has three children from his first marriage. One of his children is
In November 2009 Shinn announced he had
Although Shinn later relinquished control of the Hornets and retired, he is still hated in Charlotte for moving the team to New Orleans. Shinn has not returned to Charlotte since the Hornets left for New Orleans in 2002. In a 2008 interview with The Charlotte Observer, Shinn admitted that the drama over his personal life was a factor in the Hornets leaving town. He also said that if he had it to do all over again, he would not have withdrawn from public view as he did after the sexual assault trial.[7]
Net worth
In 2010 the former New Orleans Hornets owner had an estimated net worth of $100 million.[14]
References
- Businessweek. November 21, 2005. Archived from the originalon August 29, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- highbeam.com.
- ^ THE RISE AND FALL OF GEORGE SHINN AND THE HORNETS
- NBA.com. 2012. Archived from the originalon June 5, 2012.
- ^ "Shameless Hornet: George Shinn". ESPN. November 21, 2005.
- ^ Cagan, Joanna (December 1, 1998). "Billionaire Boys Club". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ a b Green, Ron (November 2, 2008). "Shinn: I messed up in Charlotte". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ "Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002)". Sportsecyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- The Times-Picayune. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- ^ Helin, Kurt (December 10, 2010). "Gary Chouest wants to keep Hornets in New Orleans, so long as he doesn't have to buy team". NBC Sports.
- ^ Stein, Marc (December 5, 2010). "Sources: NBA set to take over Hornets". ESPN. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
- NBA.com. December 20, 2010. Archived from the originalon December 26, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
- ISBN 0-915611-82-1.
Shinn had suffered a stroke early in the first season and was essentially incapacitated for several months.
- ^ "NBA Owners – George Shinn". HoopsHype. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.