New Orleans
Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are the NBA club that carries the Crescent City’s modern basketball identity into the Western Conference. Built around a young, watchable core and anchored by one of the league’s most distinctive home environments, the franchise continues to balance high-end talent, development, and the challenge of turning promise into sustained contention.

Franchise history

The Pelicans are a relatively young NBA franchise by name, but their story in New Orleans reflects a longer lineage of professional basketball in the region. The club was founded in 2002 as the New Orleans Hornets, arriving in Louisiana with a fresh identity and a major opportunity to embed itself in a city known for passion, rhythm, and resilience. Over time, the team became part of the sports fabric of New Orleans, and the franchise later adopted the Pelicans name, a reference that better aligns with local identity and the state’s symbolism.

In the NBA’s modern era, New Orleans basketball has often been defined by transitions: relocation, rebuilding cycles, and periods of star-driven hope. That history has created a team identity that is always in motion. The Pelicans have spent much of their existence searching for the right mix of health, continuity, and enough top-end talent to break through in a loaded Western Conference. Even so, the franchise has given fans memorable stretches and several players who became central figures in league-wide conversations.

Early New Orleans years

The club’s early New Orleans period established the team in a market that wanted big-league relevance and a distinct basketball voice. The franchise had moments of intrigue and competitiveness, and it also had to manage the realities of an expansion-style team building a lasting footprint. New Orleans fans quickly became accustomed to a roster that could change from season to season, but the team’s presence remained important for the city’s broader sports profile.

Those early years also introduced the idea that this franchise would need to define itself differently from the NBA’s legacy powers. The Pelicans would not be built on a single long dynasty or an unbroken run of success. Instead, the club’s identity would grow through individual stars, occasional bursts of playoff relevance, and the steady work of trying to make the most of each era.

The Pelicans identity

The rebrand to the Pelicans gave the franchise a name tied more directly to Louisiana culture and imagery. It marked a clean shift in identity, one that separated the club from its previous chapter while keeping the same organizational roots. For many fans, the Pelicans name also helped the team feel more distinctly local, more inseparable from the Gulf Coast region and the city that hosts it.

Since then, New Orleans has often been associated with youthful rosters, athletic frontcourt talent, and the constant search for cohesion. That has produced seasons that are intriguing on paper and unpredictable in execution. The franchise’s history is therefore best understood as a series of resets, each one offering the chance to create a more durable foundation.

Building around star talent

Like many modern NBA teams, the Pelicans have repeatedly leaned on the idea that one or two elite players can change the direction of the franchise. That approach has produced some of the most exciting stretches in team history, especially when the roster has had a chance to play with energy and continuity. The challenge has been converting that talent into a deep, stable, postseason-caliber structure.

That is part of what makes New Orleans so interesting as an annual watch. The club is often defined less by old certainties and more by possibility. Every new roster cycle invites the same question: can this group finally become the one that matches the city’s appetite for basketball and the franchise’s long-term ambition?

Championships and legends

The Pelicans have not yet built a championship chapter in franchise history, but they have produced important eras, signature players, and names that matter to the club’s identity. The list below focuses on well-known figures connected to New Orleans basketball and the broader franchise story.

What stands out is not a trophy case, but the blend of star power, fan favorites, and players who helped define different eras. The franchise has been strongest when it had a clear centerpiece and a supporting cast willing to grow around that player. That is a familiar NBA formula, but in New Orleans it has always carried extra importance because of the team’s youth as a franchise and the city’s desire for a lasting contender.

• Chris Paul — The point guard who helped define one of the most memorable early New Orleans eras.
• Anthony Davis — The franchise’s most prominent modern star and the centerpiece of its high-upside years.
• David West — A key frontcourt presence during a competitive stretch in New Orleans.
• Jrue Holiday — An important two-way guard who helped stabilize the team in a later era.
• Peja Stojaković — A well-known shooter who became part of the club’s signature playoff run.
• Zion Williamson — A defining star of the current era and one of the most recognizable players in franchise history.

Home arena and city

The Pelicans play at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, a home floor that places the team at the center of one of America’s most distinctive cities. The arena is part of the broader rhythm of New Orleans sports life, where basketball exists alongside a strong local culture, major events, and a fan base that values personality as much as results. For the Pelicans, the arena is more than a venue; it is the stage on which the franchise tries to connect with a city that understands identity and atmosphere.

New Orleans itself gives the team a natural sense of place. The city’s music, food, history, and constant event energy create an environment unlike that of most NBA markets. The Pelicans are not simply another franchise in a large metro area; they are a team with an opportunity to reflect a city that stands out nationally. That connection matters because it shapes how the club is viewed, how its games feel, and how quickly new players become part of the local conversation.

For fans, home games are about more than the box score. They are about seeing a team that feels rooted in the city’s style and pace. The Smoothie King Center gives the Pelicans a consistent base from which to build that identity, and it remains one of the most important pieces of the franchise’s present and future.

Last season

The Pelicans finished the 2025-26 regular season at 26-56 and did not appear in the playoffs in the data available here. That record reflects a difficult year and a reminder that the Western Conference can be unforgiving, especially for teams trying to blend talent, youth, and health into a coherent whole. A season like that usually pushes a franchise to examine depth, development, and the structure around its best players.

At the same time, a poor record does not erase individual production or the possibility of a reset. The Pelicans’ recent season included several players who posted meaningful numbers, and that matters because it suggests there are pieces to work with even in an uneven year. The question is how many of those pieces can fit together in a way that creates a stronger team context.

The path forward after a 26-56 season is rarely simple. It usually demands better availability, more consistent lineups, and a clearer sense of what the team wants to be. For New Orleans, last season serves as both a warning and an opening: the warning that talent alone is not enough, and the opening that a new year can still produce a different result.

Current roster and coaching staff

The current Pelicans roster features a mix of established scorers, young frontcourt talent, and developing guards. The coaching staff is led by Jamahl Mosley, who enters the season with the task of turning a deep-looking group on paper into a more dependable team on the floor. The roster has enough scoring and size to create interesting combinations, but it will need clarity, health, and role definition to maximize that potential.

Several players arrive with recent production that can shape the team’s direction. The roster includes high-usage perimeter talent, productive forwards, and multiple centers, giving the Pelicans a wide range of lineup possibilities. That kind of depth can be an advantage if it is organized well, but it can also become crowded if the roles are not clearly sorted out early.

• Trey Murphy III — F, #25, age 26, 6 years of experience; last season: 21.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.8 apg.
• Zion Williamson — F, #1, age 26, 7 years of experience; last season: 21.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.2 apg.
• Saddiq Bey — G, #41, age 27, 6 years of experience; last season: 17.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.5 apg.
• Bennedict Mathurin — G, #24, age 24, 5 years of experience; last season: 17.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 apg.
• Dejounte Murray — G, #5, age 30, 10 years of experience; last season: 16.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.4 apg.
• Jeremiah Fears — G, age 19, 2 years of experience; last season: 14.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg.
• Jordan Poole — G, #3, age 27, 8 years of experience; last season: 13.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.1 apg.
• Julian Reese — F, #13, age 23, 2 years of experience; last season: 11.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.8 apg.
• Derik Queen — C, #22, age 21, 2 years of experience; last season: 11.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.7 apg.
• Herbert Jones — F, #2, age 27, 6 years of experience; last season: 8.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.8 apg.
• Bryce McGowens — G, #11, age 23, 5 years of experience; last season: 8.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.5 apg.
• Trendon Watford — F, #9, age 25, 6 years of experience; last season: 6.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg.
• Karlo Matkovic — F, #17, age 25, 3 years of experience; last season: 5.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.8 apg.
• Yves Missi — C, #21, age 22, 3 years of experience; last season: 5.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.3 apg.
• DeAndre Jordan — C, #6, age 38, 19 years of experience; last season: 4.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 0.9 apg.
• AJ Johnson — G, #14, age 21, 3 years of experience; last season: 3.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.0 apg.
• Kobe Bufkin — G, #4, age 23, 4 years of experience; last season: 2.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.6 apg.
• Christian Koloko — C, #35, age 26, 4 years of experience; last season: 2.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.7 apg.
• Caleb Houstan — F, #33, age 23, 5 years of experience; last season: 2.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.2 apg.
• Malik Dia — F, #8, rookie, Ole Miss.
• Jaron Pierre Jr. — G, #10, rookie, SMU.

There are also injury notes to monitor: Micah Peavy is day-to-day with an ankle issue, Trey Alexander is day-to-day with a ribs bruise, and Bryce McGowens is day-to-day with a toe fracture. Even short-term absences can matter for a team trying to establish a rhythm early in the season, especially when the roster is already full of players trying to settle into roles.

Rivalries

The Pelicans’ rivalries are shaped as much by geography and conference pressure as by one single historic feud. In the Western Conference, every game against a familiar opponent can feel like a measuring stick, and New Orleans has long had to fight for position against teams with deeper postseason histories. That makes divisional and conference matchups especially important, because they often define the tone of a season even before the calendar turns to winter.

One of the most natural points of tension for New Orleans comes from meeting teams that have served as backdrops to key franchise moments. The Pelicans have also developed a reputation as a team that can be fascinating to watch against elite Western opponents because their talent level can rise quickly. That combination of volatility and upside makes the club a tricky opponent and a relevant one in the larger conference picture.

Rivalry energy for the Pelicans is not always about tradition in the oldest sense. Sometimes it is about the challenge of climbing past established teams that have been more stable, more experienced, or more successful in recent years. In that sense, every strong opponent becomes part of the rivalry story, because New Orleans is still in the business of proving it belongs among the West’s most respected teams.

What to watch this season

The biggest storyline for the Pelicans is whether this roster can turn its depth into an actual identity. There are multiple players who can score, several who can handle creation responsibilities, and a frontline mix that offers both physicality and developmental upside. The challenge is figuring out which combinations make the whole greater than the sum of the parts, and doing that quickly enough to avoid another slow start.

Another key question is how the team’s higher-profile players fit around one another. When a roster includes multiple players capable of taking on significant usage, the best version of the team usually depends on simplification, hierarchy, and reliable spacing. The Pelicans also need health and availability to become less of a storyline. Without those elements, even a talented roster can spend too much time searching for continuity.

For fans, the season is worth tracking because it has the ingredients of both a breakout and a rebuilding check-in. New Orleans has experienced enough change to understand that upside does not guarantee progress. But it also has enough recognizable names and enough young talent to make this a genuinely interesting year. If the rotation settles, the coaching direction holds, and the stars stay on the floor, the Pelicans have a path to making their season look very different from the last one.

In a conference where margin for error is thin, New Orleans does not need a perfect season to make noise. It needs a clearer one. That is what makes the Pelicans such a compelling team to follow: they have the ingredients for something meaningful, and the season will reveal whether those ingredients can finally be blended into a contender’s recipe.