George Shinn Era
From the Big Easy to the Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans carry on New Orleans' NBA legacy.
The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Smoothie King Center.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Franchise Owner
- Team name at time
- New Orleans Hornets
- Relocation year
- 2002
- Status
- Deceased
Lore & Background
The Pelicans were established as the New Orleans Hornets in the 2002–03 season when George Shinn, then owner of the Charlotte Hornets, relocated the franchise to New Orleans. Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the team temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City, where they spent two seasons as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets before returning to New Orleans for the 2007–08 season. In 2013, the Hornets announced that they would change their name to the New Orleans Pelicans. In 22 seasons of play since the original franchise relocated from Charlotte, the New Orleans franchise has achieved an overall regular season record of 831–937 (.470) and qualified for the playoffs nine times. Their achievements include two playoff series victories and one division title.
Reader's Guide
The Hornets opened their inaugural season in New Orleans on October 30, 2002, against the Utah Jazz. The Hornets finished the season with a 47–35 record but were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in the First Round of the 2003 playoffs. The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005, before Hurricane Katrina. The Hornets used their first-round pick to select point guard Chris Paul out of Wake Forest University.
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