George Shinn (born May 11, 1941) is the former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets as well the Charlotte Knights and Gastonia Rangers minor league baseball teams along with the Raleigh/Durham Skyhawks of the World League of American Football. He purchased the Hornets for $32,500,000 in 1987. In 1997, he lost his bid for a National Hockey League expansion franchise to be called the Hampton Roads Rhinos.

Shinn was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina and was a poor student growing up, graduating last in his high school class of 293 from A. L. Brown High School. He went on to Evans Business College in Concord, North Carolina.

Shinn worked in a textile mill, a car wash and as a school janitor. Upon graduating from Evans, he raised money and bought the school and other small colleges that offered 18-24 month programs, consolidating them all under the umbrella company Rutledge Education Systems. He sold the schools and bought the basketball team with the proceeds.

He is the author of a half dozen books including The Miracle of Motivation, The American Dream Still Works and You Gotta Believe! The Story of the Charlotte Hornets.