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Basketball / Teams
FRANCHISE

NBA franchise story

New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans basketball has been shaped by elite lead guards and generational big men, from Chris Paul to Anthony Davis and the tantalizing talent assembled after his departure.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: New Orleans Pelicans official team history ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

2002–03—2004–05

01
NOPDAVIS5Baron Davis
NOPMASHBURN24Jamal Mashburn
NOPBROWN42P.J. Brown

Baron Davis leads a new home

Basketball returns to New Orleans

The relocated Hornets reached the playoffs in their first two New Orleans seasons before injuries and upheaval changed the roster.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

2002–03—2004–05

02▼

Franchise era

2005–06—2006–07

02
NOPPAUL3Chris Paul
NOPWEST30David West
NOPMASON24Desmond Mason

A displaced team finds Chris Paul

The Oklahoma City interlude

Hurricane Katrina forced the club to Oklahoma City just as Paul arrived and immediately gave it a new direction.

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Chapter 02

2005–06—2006–07

03▼

Franchise era

2007–08—2010–11

03
NOPPAUL3Chris Paul
NOPWEST30David West
NOPCHANDLER3Tyson Chandler

Control, pick-and-roll craft and a division title

CP3 and the 56-win breakthrough

Paul's near-MVP season powered the best regular-season team in franchise history and established New Orleans as a serious basketball market.

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Chapter 03

2007–08—2010–11

04▼

Franchise era

2011–12—2018–19

04
NOPDAVIS23Anthony Davis
NOPHOLIDAY11Jrue Holiday
NOPCOUSINS0DeMarcus Cousins

A franchise big man searches for continuity

The Anthony Davis years

Davis became an elite two-way star, but injuries and constant roster changes limited the era to two playoff appearances.

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Chapter 04

2011–12—2018–19

05

Franchise era

2019–20—present

05
NOPWILLIAMSON1Zion Williamson
NOPINGRAM14Brandon Ingram
NOPJONES5Herb Jones

Zion's force and another reset

The post-Davis young core

The Davis return supplied a deep young roster, though availability and fit have kept its most exciting version frustratingly intermittent.

Read the era story →

Chapter 05

2019–20—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five New Orleans Pelicans games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Regular Season

Regular Season
2022
PHOENIXSUNS
NEW ORLEANSPELICANS
DEC 9, 2022

Suns vs Pelicans

Dec 9, 2022

#02 · Western Conference First Round

Western ConferenceFirst Round
2004
GAME7
NEW ORLEANSPELICANS
MIAMIHEAT
2004-05-04

New Orleans Pelicans vs Miami Heat

2004-05-04

#03 · Western Conference Semifinals

Western ConferenceSemifinals
2008
GAME7
SAN ANTONIOSPURS
NEW ORLEANSPELICANS
2008-05-19

San Antonio Spurs vs New Orleans Pelicans

2008-05-19

#04 · Western Conference Semifinals

Western ConferenceSemifinals
2018
GAME5
NEW ORLEANSPELICANS
GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS
2018-05-08

New Orleans Pelicans vs Golden State Warriors

2018-05-08

#05 · Western Conference First Round

Western ConferenceFirst Round
2022
GAME6
PHOENIXSUNS
NEW ORLEANSPELICANS
2022-04-28

Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans

2022-04-28

Season history

Past seasons

24 seasons · newest first

Game archive

New Orleans Pelicans games

1,991 total · loaded 10 at a time