George Shinn
Encyclopedia
George Shinn is the former owner of the Charlotte
Charlotte Hornets (NBA)
The Charlotte Hornets was a professional American basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They played in the Atlantic, Midwest, and Central divisions of the National Basketball Association. The Hornets began play during the 1988–89 NBA season as an expansion franchise, along with the...

/New Orleans Hornets as well the Charlotte Knights and Gastonia Rangers minor league baseball teams along with the Raleigh/Durham Skyhawks of the World League of American Football. He purchased the Hornets for $32,500,000 in 1987. In 1997, he lost his bid for a National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 expansion franchise to be called the Hampton Roads Rhinos
Hampton Roads Rhinos
The Hampton Roads Rhinos were a proposed National Hockey League expansion team in the late-1990s to play in Norfolk, Virginia. The franchise would be under the ownership of George Shinn and play in a proposed $142 million arena to be constructed in Downtown Norfolk...

.

Early life and education

Shinn was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina...

 and was a poor student growing up, graduating last in his high school class of 293 from A. L. Brown High School
A. L. Brown High School
A.L. Brown High School is a comprehensive public high school in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It is the only high school in the Kannapolis City Schools district as well as the city of Kannapolis...

. He went on to Evans Business College in Concord, North Carolina
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...

.

Work experience

Shinn worked in a textile mill, a car wash
Car wash
A car wash or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior and, in some cases, the interior of motor vehicles.- Categories :...

 and as a school janitor
Janitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...

. Upon graduating from Evans, he raised money and bought the school and other small colleges that offered 18-24 month programs, consolidating them all under the umbrella company Rutledge Education Systems. He sold the schools and bought the basketball team with the proceeds.

Writings

He is the author of a half dozen books including The Miracle of Motivation, The American Dream Still Works and You Gotta Believe! The Story of the Charlotte Hornets.

Sexual assault claims

Shinn was accused of kidnapping and sexual assault by a Charlotte woman. He allegedly offered to drive the woman to his lawyer to help with her child custody problems. Instead, he allegedly drove her to his home. In the car Shinn allegedly grabbed her breast and put his hand up her underwear. She asked to be taken home, but he refused, forcing her to do sexual acts to him.

Shinn had an ongoing trial for a sexual assault claim in December 1999 that the jury rejected, but he admitted in court to having two sexual relationships outside his marriage. The trial was broadcast nationwide on Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...

 and drew some of the cable network's highest ratings at the time.

The trial and his subsequent tarnished reputation was one of the key reasons for the move from Charlotte to New Orleans.

Shinn hasn't 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'd had it to do all over again, he would not have withdrawn from public view as he had after the sexual assault trial.

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. The negotiations stalled due to the team's financial issues. Because Shinn is 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. The NBA completed their purchase of the Hornets from George Shinn and Gary Chouest in December 2010 for an estimated $300 million.

Personal life

Shinn has three children from a previous marriage and is currently married to Denise, whom he met at a Charlotte game. In November 2009, Shinn announced he had prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...

. By March of 2010, after several months of treatment, he announced he was cancer free.

Net worth

The former New Orleans Hornets owner has a current estimated net worth of $100,000,000.

External links

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