Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets return to New Orleans on October 31, 2007, when they defeated the Sacramento Kings 109-90 to open the 2007–08 season. In the following two seasons, the Hornets averaged an attendance of 15,574. During the 2008 All-Star Game, the NBA donated $5 million towards relief work, and staged an NBA Cares program throughout the city to help rebuilding efforts. Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29, 2005 and caused extensive damage to the New Orleans Arena. As a result, the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s New Orleans Hornets
Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Saints officials were only doing what any city seeking a franchise would do—recruit the franchise. On October 21, 2005, Benson issued a statement saying that he had not made any decision about the future of the Saints. However, the "San Antonio Express-News" reported that sources close to the Saints' organization said that Benson planned to void his lease agreement with New Orleans by declaring the Louisiana Superdome unusable. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue met with Benson and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco at the Saints' first home game in Baton Rouge on October 30 against the Miami Dolphins. After the meeting, he stopped