Pelicans

Originally established as the New Orleans Hornets, the Pelicans are a young franchise and are still just coming into their own. Many greats like Chris Paul and Anthony Davis, both of whom lead many Pelicans team stats, helped make the team more renowned. In recent years, New Orleans has slowly progressed.

But despite the progression, the Pelicans remain also-ran by most NBA standards. The NBA odds still have them as a dark horse to win the NBA title, at best. And at worst, it may be another rebuild – something the fans are most likely tired of. Here’s hoping the team can keep its young stars, unlike in the past.

General Information

Conference & Division

• Founded: 2002
• Conference: Western
• Division: Southwest

City: New Orleans, Louisiana

Stadium: Smoothie King Center

Championships & Titles

Years:

• Division Title

New Orleans Pelicans All-Time Records

Most points all-time

• Anthony Davis, 11,059

Most rebounds all-time:

• Anthony Davis, 5,942

Most assists all-time:

• Chris Paul, 4,228

Most steals all-time:

• Chris Paul, 1,010

Most blocks all-time:

• Anthony Davis, 1,121

Most wins all-time (coach):

• Byron Scott, 211

New Orleans Pelicans Stats & Team History

The Pelicans are New Orleans’ first NBA team since the New Orleans Jazz in 1979. The franchise came to the “Big Easy” when then-Hornets owner George Shinn relocated the team to New Orleans. The Hornets already had a solid team that made two NBA playoffs trips before bottoming out during the 2004-05 season.

This allowed the franchise to select superstar point guard Chris Paul, who went on to win Rookie of the Year. Tragedy hit New Orleans via Hurricane Katrina. The team had to relocate briefly to Oklahoma City from 2005 to 2007. This, in turn, helped popularize NBA basketball enough for the city to get its own team: the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But in Paul’s reign, the Hornets had some brief success. The team won 56 games during the 2007-08 season, which still stands as a franchise record as of 2022. They lost to defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the semifinals.

Paul departed the team via a trade in 2011, shortly after the league purchased the team from Shinn. The trade resulted in New Orleans struggling, which led to winning the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery.

Coincidentally, the franchise also found a new owner in Tom Benson, who also owned New Orleans’ NFL team, the Saints. He ultimately rebranded the Hornets to the Pelicans, and gave the Hornets’ name rights (and history) back to Charlotte.

Davis, though often injured, showed himself to be quite the superstar. In just his sophomore year, he became an NBA All-Star and led the New Orleans Pelicans’ team stats in almost every category. But, despite his best efforts, New Orleans still struggled.

Management did its best to give Davis supporting stars from Demarcus Cousins to Jrue Holiday. Ultimately, under Davis, New Orleans made two playoff appearances with one series win. They went 48-34 in 2017-18, which has been their best season as the Pelicans.

Eventually, the Pelicans traded Davis to the Lakers for a wealth of picks. The team also hired David Griffin from Cleveland as its new executive. He proved to be a lucky charm, as the Pels won the NBA Draft Lottery and selected budding star, Zion Williamson.

Via a series of trades and signings, Griffin was able to build a contender around Williamson, even if he has missed a lot of time due to injury. But with a supporting cast like All-Star Brandon Ingram, New Orleans is trending back up.

New Orleans Pelicans FAQs