Tagged: New Orleans Hornets

NEW YORK — The New Orleans Hornets have won the NBA's draft lottery and the No. 1 pick overall. After a difficult season in which they traded All-Star Chris Paul, the Hornets have a shot to add another superstar. Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis is widely considered the best player available. 

BATON ROUGE — Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed into law a 10-year, $37 million tax break for the New Orleans Hornets, part of the state's deal to keep the NBA team in Louisiana.

Jindal announced the signing Tuesday, in a list of bills that he agreed to enact into law.

The bill by Jefferson Parish Rep. Cameron Henry, a Republican, extends an existing tax break that saves the Hornets $3.7 million a year through Louisiana's Quality Jobs Program. The rebate will be extended through the 2024 NBA season.

There finally could be some good news for the Hornets, who suffered through a miserable season as part of the fallout from the Chris Paul trade.

The deal that led to lots of losing in New Orleans also yielded two picks in Wednesday night's NBA draft lottery.

With luck — something that has been in short supply for the Hornets lately — New Orleans could end up with two of the top overall picks in the June 28 draft.

Or if the tough luck continues, the worst-case scenario is that they'll pick seventh and 13th overall.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Hornets will continue receiving a tax break that saves the NBA team $37 million over 10 years.

The Senate sent the tax break bill to the governor's desk Monday with a 28-7 vote. The measure is part of the state's deal to the keep the Hornets in Louisiana.

The tax break ran into sharp criticism in the House, where lawmakers bristled at the idea of giving a multimillion dollar tax break while also weighing budget cuts to colleges and health services.