It seems that former Bobcats owner Bob Johnson will leave Charlotte much as he once controlled the team – steeped in controversy.

Days after selling the Bobcats, Johnson labeled the Qcity’s business community as "arrogant" and "incestuous.” He also said the city doesn't do enough for minority-owned business.

"Charlotte is a very, how would I call it, close-knit, arrogant, sometimes incestuous town,” the billionaire business owner said Saturday at the uptown Westin, where he was speaking to a group of black business professionals known as the Urban Leadership Institute.

"The thing that concerns me is that I'm just surprised that the city doesn't do more for African-American small businesses,” he said. “And I don't really understand that."

Mayor Anthony Foxx, who also was in attendance and spoke to the group, said the city’s business climate toward minorities is improving, according to the Charlotte Observer.

"It's becoming increasingly clear that our city's leadership base is broadening," Foxx was quoted as saying. "What used to be a small group of people leading a large population is now becoming a larger group of people leading even a larger population. Just by nature of the fact that there are more voices at the table. I think you'll see a lot of opportunities emerge."

It was not the first time Johnson has criticized Charlotte. Two years ago, in an interview with the Observer, he said the city’s business community wasn't doing enough to support his team.

Struggling against poor attendance and mounting losses, Johnson earlier this month sold his majority stake in the Bobcats to NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.

When asked about Johnson’s comment, Bob Morgan, president of the Charlotte Chamber, declined to address the allegations, the Observer said.

"I think Charlotte owes Bob Johnson a debt of gratitude for bringing the NBA back to Charlotte," the newspaper quoted Morgan as saying.

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