History of the New Orleans Pelicans facts for kids
The New Orleans Pelicans are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team started playing in 2002. It was created when the NBA allowed a new team to be based in New Orleans. The team's first owner, George Shinn, moved his old team, the Charlotte Hornets, to New Orleans. This meant the new team already had players and staff.
For its first eleven seasons, the team was called the Hornets. It played in different divisions before joining the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in 2004. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Because of the damage, the team moved temporarily to Oklahoma City for two seasons. During this time, they were known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Later, the team faced money problems, and the NBA bought the team from George Shinn.
The team got its current name, the Pelicans, when Tom Benson bought the franchise from the NBA. Benson wanted a name that felt more "local." He chose the name from Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican. Since Benson's death in 2018, his wife, Gayle Benson, has owned the team. In 18 seasons, the New Orleans team has won 740 games and lost 864. They have made it to the playoffs eight times.
How the Team Started
Basketball in New Orleans' Past
New Orleans has a history with basketball teams. The city had a team called the New Orleans Buccaneers from 1967 to 1970. But they didn't have a good arena and didn't win much, so they moved. In 1974, New Orleans got another NBA team, the New Orleans Jazz. This team also faced problems with money and facilities. They moved to Salt Lake City in 1979.
Later, in 1994, the Minnesota Timberwolves almost moved to New Orleans. They would have played at the Louisiana Superdome. But money issues stopped this move. New Orleans tried to get the Vancouver Grizzlies next, before finally getting a team in 1987.
The Hornets Move to New Orleans
In 1987, the NBA gave a new team to Charlotte, North Carolina. This team was called the Charlotte Hornets, and George Shinn was one of its owners. Even though the Hornets played well, fewer fans came to their games. Many people thought this was because fans didn't like owner George Shinn. Shinn also wanted a new arena with more luxury boxes.
In 2001, Shinn said the Hornets would leave Charlotte unless the city built a new arena for free. The city first said no. Shinn then looked at other cities like Norfolk, Louisville, or St. Louis. St. Louis already had an arena ready for an NBA team.
Eventually, Charlotte planned to build a new arena. Shinn then decided not to move the team. However, a local issue caused a vote on the arena plan to fail. City leaders then found a way to build a new arena without a public vote. But they said they would only do it if Shinn sold the team. The NBA knew fans were upset with Shinn. But they didn't want to force an owner to sell.
Because the city insisted Shinn sell, the Hornets asked to move to New Orleans. New Orleans was a smaller TV market, but a deal was quickly made to play at the New Orleans Arena. The NBA approved the move. As part of the deal, the NBA promised Charlotte would get a new team. This new team became the Charlotte Bobcats two years later.
In 2008, George Shinn said in an interview that his "bad judgment" played a part in the Hornets leaving Charlotte.
New Orleans Hornets Era
First Seasons (2002–2005)
The Hornets played their first game in New Orleans on October 30, 2002. They played against the Utah Jazz, the team that used to be the New Orleans Jazz. The Hornets won 100–75. At halftime, they honored "Pistol" Pete Maravich by retiring his jersey number 7. Even with injuries to their star player, Baron Davis, the Hornets finished the season with 47 wins and 35 losses. They made it to the 2003 NBA Playoffs, but lost in the first round.
After the season, the team hired Tim Floyd as their new coach. In the 2003 NBA draft, the Hornets picked David West, who would become an All-Star. The team started the 2003–04 NBA season well, winning 17 of their first 24 games. But they struggled later and finished with a 41–41 record. They lost in the first round of the 2004 NBA Playoffs to the Miami Heat.
After that season, Floyd was fired, and Byron Scott became the new head coach. The NBA changed its divisions, and the Hornets moved to the tougher Southwest Division. This division had many strong teams. The team had a tough season with many injuries to key players. They started with 0 wins and 8 losses, and ended up with a record of 2 wins and 29 losses. Because of this, the team traded away older players like Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn to rebuild. They finished the year with their worst record ever, 18 wins and 64 losses.
Hurricane Katrina and Moving to Oklahoma City (2005–2007)
Because of the damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Hornets team temporarily moved to Oklahoma City. For two seasons (2005–06 and 2006–07), the team was called the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Most of their home games were played in Oklahoma City. A few games were still played in New Orleans.
In the 2005 NBA draft, the Hornets picked Chris Paul, who became a future All-Star point guard. For the 2005–06 NBA season, the team played 36 games in Oklahoma City. They also played a few games in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The team started the season better than expected. But they then lost many games and missed the playoffs. Even with a losing record, Chris Paul won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
The Hornets made big changes to their team after the 2005–06 season. They traded players and signed new ones like Peja Stojaković. The team decided to stay in Oklahoma City for the 2006–07 NBA season, but promised to return to New Orleans full-time. They finished the season with 39 wins and 43 losses, missing the playoffs again. The team's success in Oklahoma City later helped that city get its own NBA team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Returning to New Orleans (2007–2010)
The Hornets team returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season. All 41 home games were played at the New Orleans Arena. The NBA wanted the team to return to New Orleans to help with the city's recovery. The 2008 NBA All-Star Game was held in New Orleans to help promote the city. The Hornets signed new players like Morris Peterson.
Attendance at the New Orleans Arena grew stronger as the season went on. The team had a great record of 29 wins and 12 losses halfway through the season. Coach Byron Scott coached the Western Conference All-Stars in the 2008 All-Star Game in New Orleans. Two Hornets players, Chris Paul and David West, were also chosen as All-Stars. Chris Paul was a top candidate for the NBA MVP award.
The Hornets finished the season with their best record ever: 56 wins and 26 losses. They also won their first division title, the Southwest Division. They were the second-best team in the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, they beat the Dallas Mavericks. They then faced the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the semi-finals. The Hornets won the first two games but eventually lost the series in seven games.
In August 2008, the Hornets changed their logo and uniforms. The new colors were Creole blue, purple, and Mardi Gras gold. They also added a new logo with "NOLA" (for New Orleans, Louisiana) and a trumpet. The team sold over 10,000 season tickets for the 2008–09 season.
After their successful season, fans had high hopes for the 2008–09 NBA season. Many experts thought the Hornets would win their division again. Most of the main players from the previous season returned. However, injuries to Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojaković hurt the team. The Hornets finished the season with 49 wins and 33 losses. They were seventh in the Western Conference. They lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs.
After the 2008–09 season, the Hornets tried to lower their player salaries. They traded Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor to save money. They also drafted Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton. The team continued to make trades to reduce costs.
On November 12, 2009, head coach Byron Scott was fired after a slow start to the season. General manager Jeff Bower became the interim coach. The team improved, but Chris Paul got injured in January and missed most of the rest of the season. Rookies Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton played well.
The Hornets finished the season with 37 wins and 45 losses, last in their division. Jeff Bower stepped down as coach and was later fired from the team. Monty Williams became the new head coach, and Dell Demps was hired as the new general manager.
Team Changes and Ownership Issues (2010–2012)
With a new coach and general manager, the team faced an uncertain future. Minority owner Gary Chouest tried to buy out George Shinn to become the sole owner. Star player Chris Paul also wanted to play for a winning team. The team then made many trades to get younger players and try to please Paul.
At the 2010 NBA draft, the Hornets traded players to get new draft picks. They traded Darren Collison and James Posey for Trevor Ariza. They also traded for Marco Belinelli and Willie Green. These changes made the team younger and more athletic.
The team started the 2010–11 NBA season very well, winning their first five games. They later had a ten-game winning streak. The team made it to the 2011 NBA Playoffs, but lost to the Lakers.
Off the court, the deal for Chouest to buy the team fell through. Since Shinn couldn't afford to run the team, the NBA bought the team for about $300 million. The league then looked for a local owner. In January 2011, the city and local businesses bought enough tickets to prevent the team from leaving New Orleans due to low attendance.
Before the 2011–12 NBA season, the Hornets considered trading Chris Paul. Paul wanted to be traded to the New York Knicks or Los Angeles. A trade was almost made with the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, but the NBA commissioner, David Stern, stopped it. On December 14, 2011, the Hornets traded Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers. In return, they received Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a future draft pick.
At the end of the 2011–12 season, which was shorter due to a lockout, the Hornets had the worst record in the Western Conference, with 21 wins and 45 losses.
Anthony Davis Arrives (2012–2013)
On April 13, 2012, Tom Benson, who owned the New Orleans Saints football team, bought the Hornets from the NBA for $338 million. Benson said he would change the team's name to something more local. This led to rumors that the Hornets name might return to Charlotte. In June 2012, Benson put two top Saints executives in charge of the Hornets' basketball and business operations.
The Hornets traded Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to the Wizards. On May 30, 2012, the Hornets won the first pick in the 2012 NBA draft. They used this pick to draft Anthony Davis. They also drafted Austin Rivers with the 10th pick.
On July 11, 2012, the Hornets got Ryan Anderson from the Orlando Magic. Anderson was known for his three-point shots. Owner Tom Benson wanted to change the team's name to something more connected to New Orleans. He even wanted the Utah Jazz to give up their "Jazz" name, since that team started in New Orleans. But the Jazz refused. Benson also liked the names "Brass" and "Krewe."
On December 4, 2012, news spread that the Hornets would change their name to the New Orleans Pelicans starting with the 2013–14 season. The name "Pelicans" comes from Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican. The name has a long history in New Orleans, going back to a baseball team called the New Orleans Pelicans in 1865.
The team showed off its new logos and colors (navy blue, gold, and red) on January 24, 2013.
New Orleans Pelicans Era
The Anthony Davis Years (2013–2019)
On April 18, 2013, after the 2012–13 season ended, the team officially changed its name to the Pelicans.
On June 27, 2013, during the 2013 NBA draft, the Pelicans picked Nerlens Noel. They then traded him and a future draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday.
After the New Orleans team changed its name from "Hornets," the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, announced that his team would change its name back to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014–15 NBA season. The NBA approved this change. The Bobcats became the Charlotte Hornets on May 20, 2014. Also, the new Charlotte Hornets got back the history and records of the original Hornets from 1988 to 2002. The New Orleans Pelicans kept the records from the 2002–03 season onward.
Just before the 2013–2014 season, the Pelicans announced they had sold more season tickets than ever before. They sold 12,000 season tickets, a new team record.
Return to the Playoffs (2015)
In their second season as the Pelicans, the team made it to the 2015 NBA Playoffs. They had a record of 45 wins and 37 losses and were the number 8 seed in the Western Conference. They faced the Golden State Warriors in the first round, who swept them (won all four games). After the season, the Pelicans fired coach Monty Williams.
On May 31, 2015, the Pelicans hired Alvin Gentry as their 6th head coach.
Rebuilding and the Brandon Ingram/Zion Williamson Era (2019–Present)
On April 17, 2019, the Pelicans hired David Griffin to lead their basketball operations. On May 19, 2019, they hired Trajan Langdon as their new general manager.
On June 15, 2019, the Pelicans agreed to trade Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, the Lakers sent Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round draft picks to the Pelicans. The Pelicans later traded one of these picks to the Atlanta Hawks to get more draft picks.
On June 20, 2019, the Pelicans selected Zion Williamson with the first pick in the NBA draft. They also drafted other players who were then traded for new players like Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Marcos Louzada Silva. On July 1, Williamson signed his first contract with the Pelicans. However, he missed the start of the 2019–20 NBA season due to knee surgery. He made his debut on January 22, 2020, scoring 22 points. On March 3, 2020, Williamson was named the NBA Rookie of the Month for February.
Brandon Ingram had a great season. On December 30, 2019, Ingram was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. He averaged 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists that week. On January 16, 2020, Ingram scored a career-high 49 points in a win against the Utah Jazz. Because of his amazing season, Ingram became an NBA All-Star for the first time.
|
