By Cameron Lee
October 25, 2026
The Hornets have long held a special place in NBA lore, with longtime fans in Charlotte and around the world holding sentimental memories of the teal jerseys and Starter jackets that adorned countless kids during the league’s golden era.
For Tyrel Kirkham, a Long Island, New York native and the Hornets’ new chief marketing officer, those memories are just as fond, even though he grew up several hundred miles from the original Charlotte Coliseum on Tyvola Road. As a “basketball junkie,” he can trace the franchise’s history from its inception through Alonzo Mourning’s playoff series-clinching shot against the Boston Celtics in 1993, the Kemba Walker era with the Bobcats, the return of the Hornets name, the Al Jefferson and Marvin Williams years, and through the present day.
“There were so many players, obviously, Muggsy, Dell, Zo, LJ were near and dear. I loved those teams,” Kirkham said. “The Alonzo Mourning shot against the Celtics. That was a childhood memory that I remember watching like it was yesterday back home in New York.”
He officially took on the role in March after serving as the Big 12 Conference’s first chief marketing officer and spending two seasons as the Detroit Pistons’ vice president of brand and marketing strategy. A high school basketball player himself, Kirkham also has a deep affinity for the Carolinas and Charlotte. Growing up, his family was involved in the trucking and farm-stand business, Jackson Produce, and he spent several summers traveling throughout North Carolina and visiting his cousin, who now lives on Charlotte’s west side.
“The Carolinas have been near and dear to me,” he said. “And I remember the sound of his [cousin’s] voice when I told him I was coming here. It was a dream come true, just given all the childhood memories that we had together. So this is a market that my wife and I had long coveted.”
As a New Yorker with extensive sports marketing experience, including stints with the Los Angeles Rams, New York Mets and Brooklyn Nets, Kirkham arrives in the Queen City, where transplants and longtime residents sometimes clash over Charlotte’s identity and its comparisons to other cities. But he hopes to deepen the connection between the Hornets, the community and its cultural history, not just in Charlotte but throughout the Carolinas, especially as the team expands its footprint with a new broadcast arrangement bringing Hornets games to free, over-the-air television in multiple markets across the region. The Hornets’ recent 47-minute documentary on Goldsboro, North Carolina native Coby White is the latest example of the kind of storytelling Kirkham wants to showcase.
“Every city has its own story that needs to be unlocked. For me, I am a firm believer you can’t be in it if you’re not of it,” Kirkham said. “What’s so unique about this region, this city, is that there are so many stories that have yet to be told or a sports team leaning in to tell those stories.”
During his time with the Pistons, Kirkham helped shape marketing initiatives that drew on Detroit’s civic, music, sports and entertainment heritage, honoring the city’s cultural legacy to strengthen the franchise’s connection with its history. Efforts that included campaigns honoring civil rights icon Rosa Parks and boxing legend Joe Louis, a tribute to Maya Angelou, a collaboration with Detroit rapper Big Sean, and a merchandise collection inspired by the ’90s sitcom Martin. The Pistons also partnered with local artists, creatives and businesses through SHOP313, a collaboration with Shopify that supported local entrepreneurs.
Kirkham has been doing his homework in Charlotte, learning more about the city and its cultural identity by exploring local museums, including the Mint Museum and the Harvey B. Gantt Center, and collecting videos and photos highlighting people, places and happenings that he hopes to incorporate into the team’s marketing. With responsibilities spanning brand strategy, marketing, retail, fan engagement and game presentation, he’s enthusiastic about finding new ways to strengthen the team’s connection with the city.
A closer look at the exclusive 2026-27 home opener “Raise Up” T-shirts waiting on the seats at Spectrum Center as the Hornets take on the Hawks tonight with a special halftime performance by Petey Pablo. https://t.co/592PiZRCNH
— CLTure® ( culture ) (@CLTure) October 23, 2026
“I’m inspired by so many things, what I see online, what I see in person,” Kirkham said. “The warm embrace from this entire market, the folks here internally have made me so well-informed… we have every bit of the plan to weave that into our marketing approach to create some of those authentic connections.”
Weaving an NBA franchise into the fabric of the community is increasingly important for sports teams looking to galvanize a local fan base and deepen fans’ investment. But for many longtime Charlotteans, paying homage to the city’s basketball heritage and the beloved players who helped shape it is equally important — connections that make Charlotte basketball uniquely its own.
“There’s a lot of strong relationships, but we want to continue to strengthen those relationships with alumni and find unique opportunities to bring them back,” Kirkham said. “All things that we’re excited to explore and continue… I’m just excited to make those connections and find authentic touch points to engage with them.”
With the Hornets’ 40th anniversary on the horizon in the 2028-29 season, fans could see commemorative events, exclusive merchandise and, hopefully, more special appearances by former Hornets and Bobcats players.
And while the media landscape has changed dramatically over the years, Kirkham is also willing to adapt to reach younger or more casual basketball fans who may be less invested in nostalgia.
“I’m an aggressive marketer. I like to push boundaries,” he said. “While traditional is still an important part of our business, you’ve got to be mindful of the nontraditional media outlets and how a story is told may be better suited knowing that we want to engage with new audiences.”
For Hornets basketball purists and die-hards, the on-court product is what matters most. Marketing can certainly enhance the game-day experience, but it can also risk becoming a distraction. What that balance will look like under Kirkham over the next few years remains to be seen, but he made it clear that fans can expect more.
“I think you’ll see a level of aggression here of more collaborative efforts both on the retail front, and finding new content opportunities,” Kirkham said, “but also do that in conjunction with how we’re authentically leveraging this beautiful city.”
With a new, state-of-the-art practice facility on the way, a young ownership group and front office, and roster flexibility built around a promising young core, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. Hornets fans can only hope the team’s off-court marketing ambitions and on-court production align at a high level sooner rather than later.
Check out the full 2026-27 Charlotte Hornets schedule, including this season’s theme nights.
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