Burke County outfitter makes over 20,000 shirts for Hornets play-in game

It’s win or go home for the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, and tens of thousands of fans will cheer them on with the help of custom t-shirts being made by a North Carolina outfitter.

The Hornets will host the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-in Tournament with the hopes of keeping their postseason alive. Meanwhile, 60 miles away in Connelly Springs, Innovative Outfitters workers have been busy making thousands of t-shirts.

There’s a lot of pride going into the shirts as the Hornets return to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. The order is a big one -- 22,000 shirts that will be waiting for fans as they enter the Spectrum Center.

The shirts are adorned with a common phrase heard around the arena: “Protect the Hive.”

The company told Channel 9’s Dave Faherty that workers began preparing last week, getting the artwork on Friday and setting up the presses. But the Hornets didn’t know exactly where they’d end up until their last game on Saturday.

Since then, 38 employees have been putting in hard work to bring the shirts to the fans.

“Everybody you see here prints shirts every single day. Having a team that can flex up and crank out 21,000 shirts in a single day is a testament to how good a job they do,” said James Causby, the owner of Innovative Outfitters.

The employees told Channel 9 they’re glad to be part of the Hornets’ return to the playoffs, even if they can’t be there.