The Hornets signed a 25-year lease Monday on the new arena, which the city required them to do before they would ask the board of elections to place the referendum on the ballot. Now Shinn, who founded the franchise that began play in 1988, said he was withdrawing the application in a move of good faith to prove the team wants to remain in Charlotte. Friday's enthusiastic home crowd was reminiscent of the franchise's early days, when the Hornets led the league in attendance seven straight seasons. They sold out 364 games over 10 seasons. Desktop News delivers a continuous stream of news headlines directly to your desktop - and it's all free.
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