Tom Benson

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Benson purchased the New Orleans Hornets, now known as the New Orleans Pelicans, from the NBA for $338 million on April 13, 2012. As a sports team owner, Benson had a Super Bowl victory to his credit, via the Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV (2009). As of October 2017, he had a net worth of US$2.8 billion according to Forbes.

In Their Own Story

The source does not provide a specific narrative about a moment of silence or a patch ceremony for Benson with the Pelicans. However, it records that Benson died on March 15, 2018, at Ochsner Medical Center in Jefferson, Louisiana, at age 90, after being hospitalized on February 16, 2018, with the flu. His death marked the end of an ownership era that began with the Saints in 1985 and extended to the Pelicans in 2012.

Reader's Guide

Tom Benson's tenure as owner of the New Orleans Pelicans began in 2012, when he bought the team from the NBA. The NBA had taken over ownership of the franchise from George Shinn in 2010, but Benson's purchase occurred in 2012.

Did You Know?

• He purchased the team from the NBA, which had taken over ownership from George Shinn in 2010.
• Benson bought the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) on April 13, 2012, for $338 million.