New Orleans Pelicans

History

Basketball in New Orleans

New Orleans had been a founding member of the ABA with the New Orleans Buccaneers (1967–1970), but the lack of a dedicated arena and a poor performance record led the team to relocate to Memphis. The city acquired an NBA expansion franchise in June 1974: the New Orleans Jazz (as a tribute to New Orleans' history of originating jazz music). The team faced a number of the same logistical and financial woes, and relocated to Salt Lake City in 1979–80.

One of the few bright spots during the Jazz's tenure in New Orleans was the acquisition of "Pistol" Pete Maravich (who had played college basketball at LSU). Although he was considered one of the most entertaining players in the league and won the scoring championship for the 1976–77 season with 31.1 points per game, the Jazz's best record while in New Orleans was 39–43 in the 1977–78 season.

In 1994, the Minnesota Timberwolves were suffering financially and an ownership group almost purchased the team and moved it to New Orleans. The Timberwolves would have played at the Louisiana Superdome until a new arena was constructed. Financial problems, however, led to the NBA blocking the move. New Orleans would attempt to chase the Vancouver Grizzlies before finally landing another team in 2002.

2002–2005: The relocation and early years in New Orleans

While the Charlotte Hornets put a competitive team on the court throughout the 1990s, the team's attendance began falling dramatically. Many attributed this lapse in popularity to the team's owner, George Shinn, who was slowly becoming despised by the people of the city. In 1997, a Charlotte woman filed a rape allegation against Shinn, prompting a trial that ultimately damaged his reputation in the city. The consensus was that while Charlotte was a basketball city, fans took out their anger at Shinn on the team. Shinn had also become discontented with the Charlotte Coliseum, which had been considered state-of-the-art when it opened but had since been considered obsolete due to a limited number of luxury boxes. On March 26, 2001, both the Hornets and the Vancouver Grizzlies applied for relocation to Memphis, Tennessee, which was ultimately won by the Grizzlies. Shinn then issued an ultimatum that unless the city built a new arena at no cost to him, the Hornets would leave town. The city initially refused, leading Shinn to consider moving the team to either Norfolk, Louisville, or St. Louis. Of the cities in the running, only St. Louis had an NBA-ready arena, the Savvis Center, already in place and was a larger media market than Charlotte at the time; also, it was the only one of the three to have previously hosted an NBA franchise—the St. Louis Hawks, who moved to Atlanta in 1968.

Investigations into the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball program uncovered information regarding a non-binding agreement made around this time period to move the Hornets to Louisville. At the time, Louisville officials were in the early stages of building a new arena. A group of businessmen and politicians from Louisville signed a non-binding agreement with the Hornets to move the team to Louisville, as long as they built a new arena downtown. Louisville officials were in the early planning process of building what would be the KFC Yum! Center. Louisville officials were eager to bring the NBA team to Louisville, whose last professional basketball team was the ABAs Kentucky Colonels. However, Louisville Basketball's newly hired head coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich were publicly opposed to the idea of bringing a professional sports team to Louisville, which led to the deal falling through. David Stern recalled thinking, "If Rick Pitino doesn't want us there, why would we go?"

Finally, a new arena in Uptown, which would eventually become the Spectrum Center, was included in a non-binding referendum for a larger arts-related package, and Shinn withdrew his application to move the team. Polls showed the referendum on its way to passage. However, just days before the referendum, Mayor Pat McCrory vetoed a living wage ordinance. The veto prompted many of the city's African American ministers to oppose the referendum; they felt it was immoral for the city to build a new arena when city employees were not paid enough to make a living. After the referendum failed, city leaders devised a plan to build a new arena in a way that did not require voter support, but made it known that they would not even consider building it unless Shinn sold the team. While even the NBA acknowledged that Shinn had alienated fans, league officials felt such a demand would anger other owners as it could set a precedent. The city council refused to remove the statement, leading the Hornets to request a move to New Orleans—a move which would eventually return the NBA to that city for the first time since the Jazz moved to Salt Lake City in 1979. Before the Hornets were eliminated from the playoffs, the NBA approved the move. As part of a deal, the NBA promised that Charlotte would get a new team, which took the court two years later as the Charlotte Bobcats.

2005–2011: The Chris Paul era

In the subsequent draft, the Hornets used their first-round pick to select point guard Chris Paul out of Wake Forest University. Because of the catastrophic devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina upon the communities of southeastern Louisiana, the Hornets franchise temporarily relocated its base of operations to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2005–06 and 2006–07, posting records of 38–44 and 39–43 respectively. During this time, the franchise was known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. In these two seasons, most home games were played at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, while a few remained at New Orleans Arena. One year after the Hornets moved back to New Orleans permanently, the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Hornets franchise returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season, with all 41 home games in the New Orleans Arena. The 2008 NBA All-Star Game and its accompanying festivities were awarded to New Orleans and a serious marketing campaign was commenced in February 2007. Healthier than previous seasons, the Hornets opened the season with a 29–12 record at the halfway mark, completing the regular season with a record of 56–26, making the season their most successful ever. The Hornets also won their first division title, winning the Southwest Division. Having clinched the second overall seed for the Western Conference in the 2008 playoffs, the Hornets beat the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, but then lost to the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs in seven games in the conference semifinals.

In August 2008, the Hornets unveiled a modified logo and new uniforms with the colors of Creole blue, purple, and Mardi Gras gold. Pinstripes were also added to the uniforms. The Hornets also introduced a new gold alternate uniform in 2010 which was used mostly in games played on Saturday at home and on the road. The Hornets finished the 2008–09 season with a 49–33 record. Facing the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, the Hornets were eliminated in five games. The Hornets started the 2009–10 season with a 3–6 record and fired head coach Byron Scott. General manager Jeff Bower took over the head coaching duties for the remainder of the season. The Hornets finished the season with a 37–45 record and last in the Southwest Division they had won two seasons prior. Jeff Bower resigned as head coach and Monty Williams was brought in as new head coach. The team finished the 2010–11 season with a 46–36 record and qualified for the 2011 NBA playoffs, where they lost to the Lakers four games to two.

2012–2019: The Anthony Davis era

On April 13, 2012, it was announced that Tom Benson, owner of the National Football League's New Orleans Saints, had purchased the franchise from the NBA for $338 million. In addition, Benson announced that he would change the team name to something that would better suit the region, fueling rumors that the Hornets name could one day return to Charlotte, where the Charlotte Bobcats had been playing since 2004. In June 2012, Benson appointed two senior Saints executives to supervise the Hornets: Saints' general manager Mickey Loomis became head of basketball operations, overseeing general manager Dell Demps, and Saints' business operations head Dennis Lauscha took on the same role with the Hornets.

The Hornets traded Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to the Wizards for Rashard Lewis, whom they bought out, and a draft pick.

On May 30, 2012, the Hornets were awarded the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft and subsequently drafted Anthony Davis. Some people believed that David Stern rigged the draft lottery to give the Hornets the first overall pick, citing a picture of Davis in a Hornets hat as evidence. They also drafted Austin Rivers with the 10th pick (acquired from the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul trade).

On July 11, 2012, Ryan Anderson, 2012's Most Improved Player and three-point field goals leader, was acquired by the New Orleans Hornets in a sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic for Gustavo Ayón.

New owner Tom Benson had indicated early in his ownership that he wished to change the team's name to something more local, even preferring that the Utah Jazz – founded in New Orleans in 1974 and played there until 1979 – give up the "Jazz" name, but the Jazz indicated they had no interest in returning the name due to over 30 years of history associated with it. Benson had also heavily favored the names "Brass" and "Krewe".

However, on December 4, 2012, it was reported that the Hornets would change their name to the New Orleans Pelicans beginning with the 2013–14 season. The team name is inspired by Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican.

2019–present: The Zion Williamson era

On April 17, 2019, the Pelicans named David Griffin as the new executive vice president of basketball operations. On May 19, 2019, the Pelicans named former Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager Trajan Langdon their new general manager, replacing interim general manager Danny Ferry.

On June 20, 2019, the Pelicans selected Zion Williamson with the first overall pick. The team also drafted Alen Smailagić and Jordan Bone, both of whom were immediately traded to the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks, respectively. The Pelicans then received Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Marcos Louzada Silva from the Hawks. On July 1, the Pelicans announced that they signed Williamson to his rookie-scale contract. However, the Pelicans began the 2019–20 season without Williamson as he had a knee surgery following an injury in the preseason. He made his debut on January 22, 2020, scoring 22 points in 18 minutes of play. On March 3, 2020, Williamson was named the NBA Rookie of the Month for the month of February. During the month, Williamson averaged 25.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.0 steal per game.

Brandon Ingram had a breakout season. On December 30, 2019, Ingram was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from December 23 to 29. During the week, Ingram averaged 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 54.2 percent from three-point range. Ingram helped the Pelicans to a 4–0 week as a result. On January 16, 2020, Ingram scored a career-high 49 points in a 138–132 overtime win against the Utah Jazz. Ingram gave the Pelicans a one-point lead with a fadeaway jumper with 0.2 seconds remaining in regulation. This was before Rudy Gobert was fouled and subsequently sent the game into overtime with a free throw. Because of his breakout season, Ingram became an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career. Ingram also won the 2020 Most Improved Player award.

Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the Pelicans were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final eight games of the regular season. On August 9, 2020, the Pelicans were eliminated from postseason contention when the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers.

In a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, the Pelicans landed 2015-16 Most Improved Player CJ McCollum as well as Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell in exchange for Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomáš Satoranský, Didi Louzada, a protected 2022 first-round draft pick, the better of New Orleans' and Portland's 2026 second-round draft picks and New Orleans' 2027 second-round draft pick. Despite Williamson missing the entire season with a right foot fracture, the Pelicans finished the 2021–22 NBA season with a 36–46 record, which earned them the ninth-place position in the Western Conference and a chance to make the playoffs through the play-in tournament. On April 13, 2022, the Pelicans defeated the 10th-place San Antonio Spurs 113–103 at home in the first round of the play-in and two days later defeated the eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers 105–101 on the road in the second round of the play-in to clinch the eighth seed and New Orleans' first playoff berth since 2018.

Logos and uniforms

Originally, the New Orleans Hornets wore teal and white uniforms, with purple and gold added as trim colors. In 2004, they added a gold uniform to the rotation, and in 2006, this became the team's primary road uniform, while the teal uniform remained in use as an alternate. The 'fleur-de-bee' logo was added on the right chest in 2007. All three uniforms only featured the city name on the front.

During their two-year residency in Oklahoma City (2005–2007), the Hornets wore modified white uniforms with the team name in front. A teal hexagon patch with the acronym "OKC" inside adorned the right chest of their uniforms to represent their temporary home. They also wore a special white uniform with "Oklahoma City" surrounding the number, and a corresponding red uniform worn during Valentine's Day 2007. The red uniforms were auctioned for charity. Both uniforms replaced the "OKC" patch with the "NOLA" patch.

In 2008, the Hornets received new logos and uniforms, featuring lettering and numbers inspired by the wrought iron designs of the city. Teal was replaced with "creole blue", and pinstripes were added to the uniform. The following season, the Hornets began wearing a special uniform during Mardi Gras week; the design featured a purple front and a green back along with the "NOLA" wordmark in gold. Before the 2010–11 season, the Hornets brought back a gold alternate uniform, this time with pinstripes and the "NOLA" wordmark in front.

The New Orleans Hornets were sold to Tom Benson on April 13, 2012. After purchasing the team, Benson indicated that he wanted to change the club's nickname to something more regionally appropriate. On December 14, 2012, it was reported that the Hornets would change their nickname to the New Orleans Pelicans. On January 24, 2013, the team held a press conference, where it unveiled its new nickname, logos and colors. The name Pelicans is a reference to the brown pelican, the state bird of Louisiana. The team said in a press release that its colors would be navy, gold and red; each color is represented in the city flag of New Orleans. The team formally adopted its new brand identity at the end of the 2012–13 season.

On August 1, 2013, the Pelicans released their new uniforms. The 'New Orleans' wordmark logo across the front of the jerseys is inspired by French Quarter street signs; the Pelicans are one of three NBA teams to wear the city name across the front of both home and road jerseys. The partial logo is featured on the sides of the shorts, and the "Bird-de-Lis" logo (a combination mark of the pelican, fleur-de-lis and crescent basketball shape) is featured on the back neck. NBA teams were not allowed to have alternate uniforms during their first season of operation.

Personnel

Retained draft rights

The Pelicans hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends. This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

Retired numbers

Notes:

1 The New Orleans Hornets retired Maravich's number during their first game in New Orleans in honor of his basketball contributions to the state of Louisiana, both during his college career at Louisiana State University (LSU) and his professional career with the city's former NBA team, the New Orleans Jazz.

From 2000 to 2014, the New Orleans Hornets had retired #13 in honor of Bobby Phills. The number was retired on February 9, 2000, after his death in an automobile accident in Charlotte. His jersey hung from the rafters of the Charlotte Coliseum until the franchise relocated in May 2002; it was then displayed in the New Orleans Arena until 2013. After the 1988–2002 history of the Hornets was transferred back to Charlotte, the Pelicans returned the number to circulation, while the new Hornets again had the number retired. In November 2014, Phills' jersey was returned from New Orleans to Charlotte, and it now hangs in the Spectrum Center. In the 2016–17 season, Cheick Diallo became the first Pelicans player to wear #13 after its reactivation.

The NBA retired Bill Russell's No. 6 for all its member teams on August 11, 2022.

Media

As of the 2024–25 season, Pelicans games not televised exclusively by the NBA's national television partners are carried by a network of Gray Media broadcast television stations in the Pelicans' television market, with the telecasts produced by Raycom Sports. The Pelicans' games are primarily carried by Gray's Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network, and a subscription streaming service known as "Pelicans+" in partnership with Kiswe. The games are currently called by Joel Meyers on play-by-play, joined by former Pelicans player Antonio Daniels as an analyst. The network succeeded Bally Sports New Orleans, which dropped the team amid its parent company's bankruptcy.

Season-by-season record

List of the last five seasons completed by the Pelicans. For the full season-by-season history, see List of New Orleans Pelicans seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Home arenas

Smoothie King Center (2002–present), formerly known as New Orleans Arena (2002–2014)

One other temporary facility due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina:

Ford Center (2005–2007)

Mascot

Pierre the Pelican is the official mascot for the Pelicans. He was introduced on October 30, 2013, the opening night of regular season for the team at home against the Indiana Pacers. The name for the mascot was selected by the fans through an online poll on the team's website. However, Pierre's unconventional design frightened some fans. The mascot's redesigned head was released on February 11, 2014.

The Pelicans' prior mascot was Hugo the Hornet, who was part of the organization from 2002 to 2013. Hugo returned as the mascot for the Charlotte Hornets starting with the 2014–15 season.

Sponsorship and partnerships

Since 2014, the Pelicans have played in the Smoothie King Center, following a 10-year naming rights agreement with the smoothie and supplement chain headquartered in nearby Metairie, Louisiana. In 2023, the team added NewAge Products as their official jersey patch sponsor. Over the years, the franchise has also partnered with brands such as Zatarain’s, Entergy, Chevron, and Hancock Whitney Bank across media, community initiatives, and in-arena sponsorship activations.