<page_title> Sports in North Carolina </page_title> <section_title> Major league professional teams </section_title> <table> <cell> Charlotte Hornets <col_header> Team </col_header> </cell> <cell> National Basketball Association <col_header> League </col_header> </cell> <cell> 1988 <col_header> Founded </col_header> </cell> </table>
The first successful major professional sports team to be created in North Carolina were the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which began in 1988.