South Charlotte Today

Shelly Cayette-Weston Outlines Vision as Hornets Sports & Entertainment’s New President of Business Operations

When Shelly Cayette-Weston left her hometown New Orleans Hornets for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fall of 2012, she was joining an organization still regrouping following LeBron James's departure to Miami two years earlier. Despite this, she was drawn to the challenge and never looked back.

“It was not a high-demand environment from a sports perspective,” explained Cayette-Weston during a recent media luncheon. “We (Cleveland) were barely winning twenty games, but this was an opportunity to help drive the business, which was at the bottom of the league, from a lot of revenue aspects. Over the course of the past ten years, we ranked in the top three in the NBA in revenue. We were very lucky that we were able to create that structure before LeBron came back [in 2014]. I firmly believe if he would have come during the process, it would have not been the best outcome long term.”

Recently hired as Hornets Sports & Entertainment’s (HSE) new President of Business Operations, Cayette-Weston now aims to bring similar growth and success to Buzz City. “Part of my interest in coming here was how I can create impact,” she said. “It’s such an amazing foundation and city. Meeting with [Co-Chairmen] Rick [Schnall] and Gabe [Plotkin] right away, it was very clear to me what they stood for and that meant a lot. It’s about becoming a premier NBA franchise. My family and I are very excited to be here. There’s just a level of excitement about what’s to come and [everybody] is going to be with us for the ride.”

Cayette-Weston began her sports and entertainment career as a marketing coordinator for Harrah’s New Orleans Casino and Hotel after playing collegiate basketball at Tulane University and professionally in the Czech Republic. She then transitioned to working five seasons in marketing, community investment, and sponsorships for the New Orleans Hornets before moving on to Cleveland where she ultimately became Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer.

Her vision for HSE focuses on achieving high departmental rankings among other NBA franchises, culture, and being central to community activities in Charlotte. “If we’re really going to be a premier NBA team, we’re going to have to be at the top,” she stated. “Whether it’s sales, revenue, guest experience, innovation—we have to be right at the top. There’s no organization that can operate at its highest level without culture. And then, we want to be a part of that growth story [in Charlotte] and we have to help support the community in doing that.”

For future plans, Cayette-Weston highlighted growing the fanbase, customer service excellence, and youth sports engagement as key areas for organizational focus. “[Fans] could be watching our broadcasts, listening to radio, looking at us on social media or coming to Spectrum Center," she noted. "There are so many different platforms that our fans are on; we have to meet them there."

Hornets Sports & Entertainment has seen significant changes over the past year with new ownership alongside appointments like Jeff Peterson as President of Basketball Operations and Charles Lee as Head Coach.

“This community is a basketball mecca,” added Cayette-Weston. “There’s pride and affinity towards sports and Hornets basketball. People are so committed and connected to the brand.”