New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans have never reached the NBA Finals. They have reached the second round of the playoffs three times: 2008, 2011, and 2018. The franchise traces its founding to 1988 in Charlotte (the original Hornets expansion team), relocated to New Orleans in 2002, played the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons primarily in Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, rebranded as the Pelicans in January 2013, and has been owned by the Benson family since April 2012. The Hornets name, colors, and original franchise records were released back to Charlotte for the 2014 Charlotte Hornets rebrand. The franchise has produced four first overall picks in its history (two in New Orleans: Anthony Davis 2012, Zion Williamson 2019) and one MVP (Chris Paul was not MVP, Anthony Davis was not MVP. As of 2026, no Pelicans player has been regular-season MVP).
The Charlotte origins (1988–2002)
The original Charlotte Hornets are an expansion franchise founded in 1988. Full Charlotte-era history here. Owner George Shinn relocated the franchise to New Orleans in 2002 after multiple failed attempts to secure a public-arena replacement in Charlotte.
The 2002–03 New Orleans Hornets, coached by Paul Silas with Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn, and Jamaal Magloire, finished 47–35 and reached the playoffs. The 2003–04 Hornets reached the playoffs as well, losing in the first round both years. Shinn sold the franchise to a local Louisiana ownership group in June 2010; George Shinn’s final year in Louisiana was 2009–10.
Hurricane Katrina, and the Oklahoma City seasons
Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005. The New Orleans Arena sustained significant roof damage. The NBA, with ownership consent, relocated the 2005–06 Hornets’ home games to the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Thirty-five of the 41 home games that season were played in Oklahoma City. The arrangement continued into 2006–07, with 29 of 41 home games in Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma City residency was the direct catalyst for the 2008 Seattle SuperSonics relocation that produced the Thunder. Clay Bennett, the Oklahoma City investor who would purchase the Sonics in October 2006, cited the Hornets’ Ford Center attendance as evidence that Oklahoma City could support a permanent NBA franchise.
The Chris Paul era (2005–2011)
The 2005 NBA Draft produced Chris Paul with the fourth overall pick. Full Paul story here. Paul’s rookie year was the Oklahoma-City-relocation season. The 2007–08 Hornets, with Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler, and Peja Stojaković, went 56–26, the franchise’s best record. They reached the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Spurs in seven games.
On December 8, 2011, NBA Commissioner David Stern (acting as the de facto owner of the Hornets via the league’s December 2010 purchase of the franchise from Shinn) vetoed a three-team trade that would have sent Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers for Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol (going to Houston), Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragić, and Houston’s 2012 first-round pick. Stern’s publicly-cited reason was “basketball reasons.” The veto is the single most-controversial commissioner’s action in modern NBA history. Eight days later, the Hornets traded Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Minnesota’s 2012 first-round pick.
The NBA trusteeship, and the Benson purchase
The NBA purchased the Hornets from Shinn and co-owner Gary Chouest in December 2010 for approximately $300 million, an unprecedented move that made the league itself the team owner. Stern held the franchise in trust for sixteen months while searching for a Louisiana-based buyer. In April 2012, Tom Benson, the owner of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, purchased the franchise for $338 million.
Benson rebranded the franchise as the Pelicans in January 2013. The “Pelicans” name referenced the brown pelican, Louisiana’s state bird. The Hornets name, the teal-purple color scheme, and the original-Hornets franchise records were released back to Charlotte for use by the Bobcats’ 2014 rebrand.
The Anthony Davis era (2012–2019)
The 2012 NBA Draft produced Anthony Davis with the first overall pick out of Kentucky. Full Davis Pelicans-era story here. Davis was 2017 All-Star Game MVP with a franchise-record 52 points. He made the All-NBA First Team three times in New Orleans.
The 2017–18 Pelicans, coached by Alvin Gentry with Davis, DeMarcus Cousins (until his January 2018 Achilles tear), Jrue Holiday, and Nikola Mirotić, finished 48–34 and beat the Blazers 4–0 in the first round. They lost to the Warriors in the second round.
On January 28, 2019, Davis formally requested a trade. On June 15, 2019, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks including a pick swap. The trade is the most-consequential transaction in Pelicans history.
The Zion Williamson era (2019–present)
The 2018–19 Pelicans won the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery despite having the sixth-lowest odds (6.0 percent). They selected Zion Williamson with the first overall pick, out of Duke. Williamson was 2019–20 Rookie of the Year.
Williamson’s career has been limited by recurring injuries. He has played more than 70 games in a season only once through 2024–25. The 2021–22 Pelicans reached the play-in tournament without him. The 2023–24 Pelicans reached the first round and lost to Oklahoma City. The 2024–25 Pelicans were a lottery team.
Current roster pieces: Brandon Ingram, Williamson, Dejounte Murray (acquired from Atlanta in July 2024), Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones. The 2025–26 Pelicans are in the Western Conference’s bottom eight.
Ownership
Tom Benson, the owner of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, purchased the Hornets in April 2012 for $338 million. Benson died on March 15, 2018. His widow, Gayle Benson, inherited both franchises. Gayle is 79 years old in 2026. The Benson family’s succession plan, as disclosed in The Times-Picayune, provides for the franchises to be inherited by the Benson Family Foundation upon Gayle’s eventual death, held in trust for the Benson family descendants. The Pelicans’ 2025 Forbes valuation was approximately $1.99 billion, the lowest in the NBA (tied with Memphis).
Retired numbers
One jersey number has been retired in the Pelicans identity:
- Pete Maravich (7), a tribute to the LSU and 1974–80 New Orleans Jazz star; retired ceremonially as part of the Pelicans rebrand
Chris Paul (3) and Anthony Davis (23) are presumed future retirements.
Get Tickets
Watch the New Orleans Pelicans live at Smoothie King Center. Find tickets, schedule, and seating charts at eTickets.com.
Find New Orleans Pelicans tickets on eTickets.com →
Sources
- Basketball-Reference, New Orleans Pelicans franchise page
- The Times-Picayune, Pelicans beat coverage, 2002–present
- Chris Paul career page and 2011 trade-veto records (ESPN, The Athletic)
- NBA trusteeship records, December 2010–April 2012
- Tom Benson purchase records, April 2012 ($338 million)
- 2019 NBA Draft Lottery records (Pelicans win first pick, select Williamson)
- June 2019 Anthony Davis trade records (Pelicans-Lakers)
- Forbes NBA Team Valuations, 2025
Shop on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.