HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The name on the front of the jerseys will reportedly remain the same. The NBA franchise in New Orleans is not going anywhere.
But the same can’t be said for the nickname that the franchise brought to town from Charlotte. The Hornets could soon become the Pelicans … that’s right, the state bird (technically it’s the brown pelican) is set for global stardom as the new nickname of the franchise with new ownership in charge.
The Hornets’ new owner, Tom Benson, who also owns the New Orleans Saints, owns the rights to the Pelicans nickname, per a report from Yahoo! Sports that first announced the pending name change.
If it happens as planned, the change in New Orleans could trigger not only a mascot and color scheme change in the Pelican State, but also some changes back in Charlotte, where Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said the Hornets nickname would be welcomed if available:
“It’s definitely an interest down the road, but right now it’s the New Orleans Hornets,” Jordan told the Charlotte Observer. “We would definitely entertain the opportunity. That’s as much as we can say right now. We’ve heard the community ask the question, and we would listen.”
More from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports with more details from the Hornets’ side of the potential change:
The Hornets also considered the nicknames Krewe (groups of costumed paraders in the annual Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans) and Brass.
Louisiana is the Pelican State. The brown pelican is the state bird and appears on the state flag and seal, and official state painting. Moreover, the Pelicans played minor league baseball in New Orleans in all but nine seasons from 1887-1959 and in 1977.
Gayle Benson, [Tom] Benson’s wife, told Fox Sports New Orleans recently her preference for new team colors was navy blue, red and gold.
The Hornets came to New Orleans in 2002 from Charlotte. New Orleans has also had an NBA team called the Jazz, which moved to Salt Lake City in 1979.
Since the fine folks in Utah have no intention of parting ways with the Jazz nickname, the Bensons had to come up with something. And for the people of the state of Louisiana, the Pelicans is a much more representative moniker than the Hornets. It’s a state-pride thing.
We’re all for region-appropriate nicknames and everything; the Oklahoma City Thunder — who moved from Seattle and left the name “SuperSonics” behind — is a spot-on name. But some nicknames need to be left alone for eternity.
The Los Angeles Lakers are named for the lakes of Minnesota, where the franchise began as the Minneapolis Lakers. That nickname is off limits.
New Orleans Voodoo (buy the dang name from the arena team), colors: Black, purple and neon Green.
worst name ever. pelicans, really…..
worst name EVER!
I think the hornets new name should be New Orleans hurricanes
The new name of this team should be the New Orleans Bayou Ballers! They can have NOLA on the road unis, and either BB’s or Bayous on their home unis.
New Orleans GATORS
New Orleans DIAMONDBACKS(snakes local to southern Louisiana)
New Orleans Hurricanes? New Orleans Storm?
Voodoo
Pelicans are a genus of large water birds comprising the family Pelecanidae. They are characterised by a long beak and large throat pouch used in catching prey and draining water from the scooped up contents before swallowing. Fossil evidence of pelicans dates back at least 30 million years, to the remains of a beak very similar to that of modern species recovered from Oligocene strata in France. The relationship between pelicans and people has often been contentious. The birds have been persecuted because of their perceived competition with commercial and recreational fishers. They have suffered from habitat destruction, disturbance and environmental pollution, and three species are of conservation concern. They also have a long history of cultural significance in mythology, and in Christian and heraldic iconography. Brown Pelicans were covered with oil, after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010…very sad. Thanks BP.
New Orleans Flashers
New Orleans Crescents
New Orleans Beignets
HAHAHAHAHAHA I am sure lebron james, kobe and the rest are laughing like crazy right now. how can any team take the pelicans serious hahaha this is the worst name ever!!
I understand that alot of ya’ll are just poking fun and trying to be comedians but a name is very important… It’s how everyone addresses you… It’s your Identity… When you die that’s all you take with you and and that’s what’s remembered most… so while ya’ll are continuing to make idiots out of yourselves if we can’t obtain the Jazz away from Utah; the new nickname for the basketball team that represents my home state of Louisiana should be the Louisiana or New Orleans “Krewe”… It represents Unity, Togetherness, and Toughness, everything that Coach Monty Williams is tryna instill in this team!!! Beware all teams of the NBA, The Krewe is Here!!!
lmfaooo i kinda wana see that happen just so i can laugh whenever the pelicans play my team
Charlotte Hornets
New Orleans Jazz
Utah Mormons
problem solved
HOW ‘BOUT NO.
A three syllable city name and a three syllable team name is no good.
N.O. Gators is the obvious choice and it sounds good.
N.O. Cajuns would be good too.
There’s many choices they could go with, but I’m down with Pelicans because I’m not a N.O. fan so it’ll just make it easier to make fun of the team if they’re playing against my team.
Pelicans? That’s BUSH LEAGUE. They’re not winning any new fans with that. What is this owner smoking???
What are they going to do with there mascot Hugo?
or New Orleans Stingrays
anything but pelicans. maybe New Orleans Vipers or New Orleans Mustangs
new orleans fudge
I Would Opt for The New Orleans Disaster ,but very offensive,so the next name I have is The New Orleans Spill,also offensive,this name needs some pizzazz something like Gumbo,lets discuss the uni colors if it’s supposed to represent the state bird the wouldn’t brown be the primary color I for one would love to see a brown jersey,doesn’t the owners wife know that the Hawks already have navy blue & red ? oh i got it The New Orleans Future since they don’t seem to have one.
New Orleans is known for so many great things, but not pelicans. They have pelicans on the whole Gulf coast. Not only that, it sounds completely dorky.
How about the JAMS for Jambalaya. At least something that sounds touch and/or cool. Not pelicans. My God!!
should be called the sinners, then New Orleans has the saints and sinners…
Thunder! Heat! Bulls! Grizzles! . . Now the Pelicans! . . p . .p . p ahhh . .ah . ah HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH .. . . . No just no! Try building a good team start there
Now it is time for Jordan to bring back the Hornets name to the Charlotte franchise. The purple and teal, baby. It would be great for the city of Charlotte to have the Hornets back.
i agree!!! NOLA can go ahead and change to Pelicans. Charlotte going to be more popular if they bring hornets back baby!
I think they should make the Utah jazz into the Saints and make the Hornets into the Jazz and give Hornets name back to the Bobcats.
I can see it now:” And now for the home team, your very own New Orleans Pelicans!” It will strike fear into the hearts of many
NO Taints? Swampers?
THE NEW ORLEANS TEST ISICLES
NO Katrinas? Hurricans? no no no
Its a whole new era in New Orleans basketball…..get ready world to see the PELICANS
hey i don’t know why you guys are ranting on this new name. New Orleans Pelicans sounds like a beast name!!!!! Hornets sound so dangerous but Peilicans are calm and genuine. Incredibly unique, I LOVE IT
New Orleans Devilwind
New Orleans Hurricanes
New Orleans Blues sounds the best.
Hi, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
We also have the name pelican in french. The bird looks very DUMB on his feet. Players will feel very shameful because of the NAME and won’t play well !!!! Do you see a GUY like LEBRON saying that he is going to play with pelicans ? HAHAHAHA.
I used to call weakest teams KFC because they used to got eaten very fast by BIG teams like My MIAMI.
20 or 40 points plus and you become a KFC for ever in my eyes.
Exactly that’s why New Orleans should change their name back to the jazz and Charlotte should change their name back to the hornets. Utah should Change their name to something that fits them like the Utah Mormons. How bout Minnesota changes their name back to the lakers and LA can change their name to the smoke stacks. The Utah jazz and LA lakers are a running joke among fans as teams who have nicknames that don’t make sense.
Um, NO.
The Hornet basketball organization has denied claims to change the name to Pelicans.
I love the charlotte hornets and followed them to New Orleans since they are the same organisation. But if they become the Pelicans then forget that. I’m not supporting a team called the Pelicans. If Charlotte became the Hornets again then that’s where i’d go. Otherwise I’d just enjoy the NBA but the last team I could cheer for would be a bunch of Pelicans
I don’t know what you guys are all talking about. The Pelicans is an awesome name
WE ARE UTAH JAZZ
And we don’t change!
I AGREE.
New Orleans VOO DOO!!!
Marketing would be great!
C’mon Pelicans– >>>>>>>> New Orleans Voo Doo <<<<
How can I get people on the Voo Doo name change bandwagon??!!
How about the San Diego Pelicans! Now that has a great ring to it. Bring them down to So. Cal. We need an NBA team in San Diego.
We already have the San Diego Gulls Hockey team. Why not the San Diego Pelicans NBA team!
the New Orleans vipers or the new Orleans tides
I like Pelicans. It represents something in their area. I actually own a New Orleans Pelicans baseball Tshirt.
This name changing thing should just stop. It shows a certain inconsistency in the NBA. That hasn’t happened in other sports in a while now, but tin he NBA it seems like you hear a new name every 5 years. Come on Benson, you seem like a bored person, find something else to do. Oh by the way you should have done like OKC and change the name when you moved in 2002.
New Orleans Nonames is better than Pelicans
So, a few hundred years ago, European folks believed that pelicans fed their young on their own blood, and the symbol became prominent in Christianity. Long time prior to that, the pelican was a figure of ancient Egyptian divine myth and appeared frequently in hieroglyph.
This’ll be great for all those Renaissance poets and mummified Pharaohs in the stands. Not navy and red uniforms, though. Have to go flashier than that.
hey Lee i think u have the winner ironclad is a good way to show repect to the state and at the same time not sound stupid
they can be called NOPs YOU KNOW THEY WILL
The New Orleans Ostriches
The New Orleans Oath
The New Orleans Octagons
lol
I think the Krewe is by far the best I have seen… Unless they move the team to Kenner and then could just be called the Kenner Brah
So my question is, will the name change be to the New Orleans Pelicans, or will they be the Louisiana Pelicans?
They should either stick with the Hornets or New Orleans Blues
“New Orleans Voodoo” Font – “CREEPY HOLOCAUST” Colors – Black, Maroon, Gold. Home jersey – (all white with Gold pinstripe similar to the current uniforms, with black outlined on the side of the jerseys) color of the names on the back to be Maroon Away Jersey – (All Black with Maroon pinstripe similar to the current uniforms, with Gold outlined on the side of the jerseys) Alt Jerseys – Maroon! (KEEP THE “NOLA” on the jersey but change the font to “Creepy Holocaust” and the color of the font to be Gold, with Black pinstripes in the jerseys, with the logo on the bottom left-side of the jerseys. Maybe a skull biting a basketball , or a Top-hat with a basketball coming out of it, or even a glowing evil basketball with a Jack-o-lantern look to it. It’ll be sorta like a “Anti-Magic team” like a sinister, villain look to the team.. allot better than this pelican joke.
Krewe would have been much better,
the real problem with ANY name they pick is almost NOTHING sounds good with “New Orleans”…the first thing they need to do is drop the N.O. for Louisiana …if you don’t believe me, pick a name that you like (any name) and say it with “New Orleans” first, then say the same name with “Louisiana” first and it IMMEDIATELY flows (here’s and example…the Louisiana Mud Cats, or Hurricanes or Perch or Oil Rigs…it just doesn’t matter)…now, that said, if they don’t wanna change it to Louisiana, then i would like to see something like the New Orleans War Hawks, Marsh Backs, Swamp Fish or Crayfish (and there again, say any of those with Louisiana first and those are good names)…and one last thought, they could also drop the N.O. and adopt the name Mid City (which is practically the part of town their stadium is in) and go with the Mid City Cyclones or Mid City Menace or Madness…those are my 2 cents
im with SWAMPDAWG.. i like the new orleans SWAMP DAWGZ
The highest windspeed on earth was recorded in Oklahoma in Moore during the May 3 1999 tornado. We still cherish the name thunder. Not just because our team rocks. We are right smack dab in the middle of tornado alley and we might as well embrace it because we cant just move our state. I think the Hurricanes would be cool. None of our opinions matter. And as an NBA fan I feel embarrased a bit for the big easy, the city with the coolest nickname has the worst sports name. Benson has more money than sense.
You could always turn to some Voodoo superstitions for inspiration. Here are 10 that are still better than Pelicans!!!
1. New Orleans Coffee Bloods – In Voodoo superstition if a woman wants her husband to stay away from other woman, she can do so by putting a little of her blood in his coffee.
2. New Orleans Hair-Collectors – A lock of a girl’s hair brings good luck
3. New Orleans Day-Sweepers – If you sweep trash out of the house after dark you will sweep away your luck
4. New Orleans Hair-Burners – You can send bad luck by getting a lock of his hair and burning some
5. New Orleans Soda-Wells – You can make a farmer’s well go dry by putting soda in the well for one week, each day; then drawing a bucket of water out and throwing it in the river to make the well go dry
6. New Orleans Cat-Bones – Always carry a black cat’s bone in your pocket, if you think someone is bewitching you.
7. New Orleans Stable-Hands – Clean out the stables between Christmas and New Years, and the witches will not hurt your stock during the year.
9. New Orleans Pepper-Shoes – Get a pair of old shoes and put pepper inside, then send them to a person and it will give them the rheumatism.
10. New Orleans Pig-Bristles – To stop a voodoo spell being placed upon you, acquire some bristles from a pig cooked at a Voodoo ritual, tie the bristles into a bundle and carry them on you at all times.
All better than Pelicans!!!
New Orleans “TROPICS”
1967-68 New Orleans Buccaneers ABA
New Orleans Gumbo hahaha
New Orleans Blues
New Orleans Funk
If they become the pelicans, I will not be a New Orleans fan any longer.
It should be New Orleans Unibrows.
New Orleans Mojo
New Orleans Creole
New Orleans Flood
New Orleans Parrish
i don´t know if someone from that state or city said DUMB on pelicans name, “Louisiana is the Pelican State. The brown pelican is the state bird and appears on the state flag and seal, and official state painting” at least itsn´t an invented nickname to sound nice, at least it´s something connected with the this land and official, but if it was me i would like to see New Orleans Blues!
Leave the nickname the same. It sounds alot better than New Orleans Pelicans. I understand the state-pride thing in all, but the nickname hornets should remain with New Orleans. L.A. didn’t give up the nickname Lakers when they moved from Minneapolis to L.A.
Or The New Orleans Quarter…..
Here’s what I propose:
Charlotte Hornets
New Orleans Jazz
Utah Saints
Minnesota Lakers
Los Angeles Kardashians
Everyone happy!
While I don’t agree, that is hilarious.
WE ARE UTAH JAZZ. The Jazz belong in Utah, never going back to New Orleans
EXACTLY. Atleast someone else here sees it.
Charlotte should be Charlotte Hornets,
then New Orleans should be New Orleans Jazz,
then Utah should be Utah Grizzlies,
then Memphis should be something else, maybe Memphis Blues?
Sorted :)
c’mon pelicans!!!! haha remember scarface sayin that in his bath tub?
The NOLA Gators, or Crocs
I am sorry I like the idea of changing the name and maybe the color scheme to fit the city. However the choices they have made are silly when they see it I hope the realize how bad the color scheme would look and how stupid the name is. I feel that it would just push players away from wanting to play there. The idea of style is a major part of the lives of the players when you look at pre-game and post-game shots of the players and the name and color scheme have the worst style ever in my opinion. I like the idea of the hurricanes, or something that shows the history of New Orleans but not the Pelicans come on it just doesn’t sound right.
Revellers, it should be Revellers.
Good name. Ive seen so many good names on this web blog comment alone I dont know what they can be thinking.
I like New Orleans Rhythm, New Orleans Easy
If the team name is set on being the pelicans I think the Louisianna Pelicans would sound beter than the New Orleans Pelicans :p
RIDICULOUS… pelicans is just a terrible name… but the good news from who are abroad the country like me (Brasil), would be great to see my charlotte hornets again on the league… I hope Hornets really get back to charlotte and don’t finish its history like this… PLEASE MAKE SURE HORNETS STILL KEEPS ALIVE….
I actually like the considered name change, as I actually shed a tear when the Hornets moved from Charlotte.
The New Orleans Tabernacle Choir????
Charlotte Hornets
Utah Wizards
New Orleans Jazz
Washington Generals
Because Utah Wizards totally makes a ton more sense than Jazz. #SaidNobodyEver
It’s a state-pride thing, didn’t y’all read that part?
New Orleans Saints! Why can’t they have a Saints football team and a Saints basketball team?
Cardinals have football and baseball!
Ummmm……..Pelicans????? NO! Best suggestion I’ve seen so far is N.O. Cajuns. It rolls off the tongue and totally fits the state.
I hope they’re joking. People who know something about Pelicans and their nature might like the name, but I’d think it’s too cerebral for most fans. A three team trade of names instead of players should take place: New Orleans gets the Jazz, Charlotte gets the Hornets, and Utah gets the Bobcats (an animal that is actually on the protected list in that state). While we’re at it though Memphis should become the Blues (and perhaps the Utah fans would like Grizzlies better than Bobcats), and Toronto should either change their mascot from a dinosaur to a bird of prey or change their name to perhaps the Timberwolves (not an animal that really lives in the area, but the alliteration is good). Then Minnesota could get the Lakers name back LA could become something like the Dragons. ;-)
The Lakers are never changing their name xD Never ever ever, it’s too famous and too recognized with LA.
Bobcats is too close to cougars. The UofU fans in Utah (the state is roughly divided in half) would not go for it.
New Orleans Jazz
Than Charlotte can get the name back. Charlotte Hornets
Digging the Pelicans name. I’m thinking Silvery Gray and Midnight Blue would be a swagged out color scheme for that team. And I would love to see Charlotte pick up the name, colors, and logo of the Hornets again. Imagine Charlotte Hornets AND Seattle SuperSonics again! Rewind back to the 1990’s!
New Orleans “Krewe” will work— “i play for the Krewe” that sounds sick
that is much better than Pelicans. i vote for Krewe!
Pelicans sounds gay. to me. It sounds like it’s not an NBA team. It’s like a D-League Team or WNBA
New Orleans Rhythm, still refers to the rich musical history or the area. The Rhythm -vs The Jazz will be a great rivalry
The name in total sounds dumb, but at least it fits with their state, whereas the Lakers and Jazz don’t fit where they play
son, what do you want to do when you grow up?
dad, i want to be a pelican
Team names (branding) should be cool, fun and, or fierce… It dosen’t even have to be regional related…
It’s not like they have the “Running of the Bulls” in Chi.. Or allow music in Utah… And I think there are only polluted mud puddles in LA. You can’t exactly name the team to reflect the true N.O. or we would have the New Orleans Boobs for Beads, or the the New Orleans Burbons (that would not fly with Government),(but think of the drinking games).
The Blues would be chill and would really lend itself to the music industry – if was a music note logo….
Blues could keep the same colours… Though it might have a bit of a depressing ora about it… Some fans have suggested the Hurricanes, but I think there’d be some mixed emotions regarding the “still rebuilding parts of the city” because the last one ripped N.O. a new one… The Canes is pretty cool, unless Coke is there main sponsor…
But back to the Pelicans. Really? With all the cool that is New Orleans, you go with the state bird that nobody knows, oh and sounds like a restaurant? Come on… the only team that the “Pelicans” will strike fear into is if another team changes their name to the “Cod”… which is only a smidgen more silly than the Pelicans.
It doesn’t look good either way…
If it’s a bird, it better be “of Prey”
Because I asked my best friend what he’d say.
“I Love it Love it Love it,” oh and he’s gay…
Pelicans does sound like the dummies or whiners of the L…don’t do it, please…there’s no pride in “pelican”…Celtics gets C’s, Pelicans gets….P’s???? Good move…won’t be taken seriously EVER
Take notes : In 2016 several teams will negotiate to change their names.
Teams that need a fresh start :
Atlanta remain as the Hawks but I think they once again change their logo
Houston files a inquiry to change their name into the Houston Comets like ther WNBA team that on their behalf needed to relocate to Pennsyllvania and become the Saphires
Portland change their name into Stingers
Cleveland may not be an NBA team due many efforts to remain finacially healthy, in 2017, there is a another buyer that also want to part ways with the losing records. Change is yet again in the air.
Utah are fined by the NBA and respond to the demand to change their names, after a ballot they are called the Saints
Charlotte inquires their old monniker and are the Hornets once again
New Orleans decides to go with Hurriquanes as their new ego
Believe me, I’m from the future :p
“Hey, Manny, look at the pelican fly. Come on, pelican!” – Tony Montana, Scarface
Riptide the Pelican is the mascot of Tulane University. TU teams are The Green Wave. Which is even lamer than Pelicans. A place so awesome should have an awesome names. Mardi Gras maybe? ;)
If they go with Pelicans, they should get Geoffrey Rush to do promo stuff for them.
I usually don’t comment but i had to when i read this article. This is by far the worst idea i have ever heard in the NBA. I mean this has to be a prank, or maybe the author of this article has their sources wrong, it could possible a hoax, but jeez-o-petes say they are not serious.
pelican sounds like dumb…can they think of other name besides pelican?
this is the nba not national geographic…no brainer…
I will be happy if Charlotte gets the Hornets back. Pelicans is not a good name. New Orleans Voodoo would be better!
Is the guy responsible for that team nickname under acid??? so crazy….. oh gosh beware of the pelicans right about now!
How abut New Orleans Pythons??
New Orleans Elbows
I say call them the New Orleans Mormons. Put the Mormons logo all over Bourbon Street and in every bar. Market the Mormons for having a good time on Bourbon Street. If the Mormons in Utah get offended then they can consider a trade of names. Hence then have the Utah Mormons and New Orleans Jazz.
awesome! What a great idea.
Because that would OBVIOUSLY go over well. /sarcasm
yeaah charlotte hornets! :D
New Orleans Olympique
LOL the new orleans UNIBROW that is the perfect name xD
What about the New Orleans Blues for a nickname , way better than Pelicans.
Pelicans! You have to be kidding. Either keep the name of the Hornets and change the colour scheme to black and gold so that it looks like a real Hornet (like the NFL Saints) or how about calling them the New Orleans Gators. There are plenty of gators in Louisiana and sounds a whole lot better than pelicans. What a lame name!
ohhhhh this is sick the pelis for short… the pelis so hot right now the pelis! im changing my team to the pelicans, up the pelis!!!!
It would take some sweet talking with Utah, but it should go like this:
New Orleans Jazz
Charlotte Hornets
Utah Saints
New Orleans Blues is sick!
Pelicans? that’s lame. How bout Louisiana Lightling?or get the Jazz name back & give Pelicans to Utah
the New Orleans Beads
New Orleans Flood
New Orleans Levees
New Orleans Sin
…the New Orleans Who Dats
New Orleans Creoles
New Orleans Feinds
The New Orleans Unit
or go the route of houstons football team and call them the new orleans lousianans
shall i continue?
pelicans is mad wack though
“The New Orleans Hurricanes”
Who would buy a pelican jersey?
GUYS! GUYYYYYSSS!!! STOP!!!! Just let them roll with the PELICANS and we make fun of it laterrrrr….cmon now.
Wow why can’t they think of a better name…
like some said already, it sounds really dumb and so unprofessional!
Kinda like a amateur club.
CHANGE THE NAME (NOT THE WORD; PELICAN)
OR KEEP THE HORNETS!
or what about the new orleans Gators??
Nice name!
Same than my favorite hockey team, Pelicans Lahti.
http://www.pelicans.fi
It will not be surprised what nba team I fan in next season :P
What about …
New Orleans French
New Orleans Swing
or
New Orleans Rhythm?? what do you guys think about it? i think pelicans is not good
It sounds like a dumb name, but then again remember how bad people thought the name “Thunder” was? People were saying that should be a name of a WNBA team. Now everyone’s use to it… maybe it’s just cos they won so much. Pelicans is super dumb though..
Nothing strikes more fear into the hearts of men more than the Pelican.
The New Orleans Pelicans sound more like an old ABA team just like the Bobcats, Wizards and Raptors.
Pelicans sound dumb but makes sense at the same time. The Jazz represents the city betta, but Utah isn’t given that name back. I neva liked them being named the Hornets just like I didn’t like Charlotte being named the Bobcats. They should also think about changin the Washington Wizards back to the Bullets because wizards has nothin to do with Washington. “Ball dont lie.”
Utah Jazz should change their name and let New Orleans take Jazz back.
But why should the Utah Jazz (which is a very popular franchise in Utah and has been ever since 1979, so 33 years) have to give its name back to New Orleans (where the Jazz was only a team for 5 or so years)? Just because the Hornets want to change their name doesn’t mean that Utah has to change theirs. That’s not how it works. It doesn’t matter what fits the culture of the city. The Utah Jazz and their name are so big in Utah that a name change would NOT go over well. I doubt that they’d ever change it, and people just need to accept that.
NOPE instead of NOLA
weird.
But good luck to them
what about New Orleans eagles
NEW ORLEANS SCREAMING CHICKEN?
Well, Charlotte should do SOMETHING about its awful nickname. I mean BOBS, short for Bobcats, is as bad as it gets. How about something unique and original, like ROBCATS! Anything but a name with “BOB” in it. Sports teams named BOB are impoverish for ideas.
Their motto will be “softness is supreme”.
Draft Night… new rookie being questioned.
“So how does it feel to be a Pelican?”.
“Yeah great, I’ve always wanted to be a Pelican”.
new orleans angry birds?
I was thinking of maybe the New Orleans Voodoo, sounds pretty sweet if you ask me. Might bring a new, darker edge to the town kinda like what I felt happened to the Nets when they went to Brooklyn. New jerseys would be in order though with the colors being maroon, purple and black? I DUNNO!! Just throwin it out there
Should Be the New Orleans Chargers or New Orleans Giants
pelicans? Sure! I’m a Golden State Warrior fan and proud of our “no city” acknowledged team. Warriors sounds fearsome like the movie “The Warriors” (1979), the decade of our last championship! Our logo even matches our fearsome name…a bridge! So yeah, pelicans. Sure, that’s perfect for the NBA and new orleans. But I like the new orleans jerseys now which says “NOLA”. I hate LA and the lakers.
By the way, oklahoma stole our “thunder”. Our mascot was Thunder. You’re welcome oklahoma.
New Orleans Jazz? taht sounds fine , mighty fine, krewe sounds pretty good too, good ring to it
pelicans?!?!? oh heeell naw….
instead of new orleans how about they drop that and JUST use The Big Easy
nice to hear NEW ORLEANS- HEROES
Yeah Memphis Grizzlies?? Give it to Utah where there is actually a high population of Grizzlies.
NOLA gets Jazz back
Charlotte gets Hornets back
Lakers can go to hell
Dec 5th ? Hmm – April 1st was about 7 months ago ?
It’s about 8 months too late for an April Fool’s joke.
WHY not CHARLOTTE PARROTS ??
what about n.o bobcats
NEW ORLEANS CROCS
or
NEW ORLEANS GATORS
I imagine the fans cheering in the arena PELICANS! PELICANS! PELICANS! yeah!! feels like a team on soccerrrRRr :)
How about the New Orleans Grifters? Or the New Orleans Voodoo? No, no, no… the New Orleans Hurricane.
If David Stern can fine coaches for not playing their stars and veto trades then he should veto the name ‘Pelicans’ and fine whoever thought that was a good idea.
Or better, the New Orleans Gumbos or New Orleans Jambalayas. How’bout New Orleans Po-Boys?
Someone above suggested Squadron which is the best suggestion yet, but The New Orleans Scoop (another name for the group) might be even better IMO. Rhymes with hoop. Short and sweet. The end S in New Orleans runs into the front S in Scoop and makes the pronunciation a little tough, but Squadron poses the same problem. You could do all sorts of stuff with that name.
NOLA Scoop…
or anything but the Pelicans.
Regardless… Pelicans is just TURRRRRRIBLE
LOL oh man. PELICANS??? Theres NO WAY anyone would take them SERIOUSLY!
“Please welcome your NBA CHAMPS, the NEW ORLEANS PELICANS!!!! ”
LMAO YEA RIGHT!!!
You don’t need to look far for more ridiculous name – Thunder (sounds exactly like Wnba team), but Pelicans would be right along side ;D
This is awesome bro!
NEW ORLEANS UNIBROWS
is this a joke?
is this a joke
The Pelicans is an awesome name. I hope the change the name.
LOL!! im sure a first grade kid can come up with a better name than the pelicans
Wooow sounds like a WNBA team lool
I had to check to make sure it wasnt April Fool’s. The Pelicans is the worst name in all professional sports.
They need to hire a think tank to take Mardi Gras and make a name around that.
Ha! Not one person thinks this is a good idea
Some suggestions, hilarious these maybe:
N.O. Bayou
N.O. Cajuns! (oh yeah!!!)
N.O. Batons
N.O. Big Easies
N.O. Marines
N.O. Oilslickers/Bourbons
Oui? :D
mighty fine thinkin there bud, anythings’s better’n the pelicans, jesus… pelicans? how soft can ya be?
Since Benson is a very prominent Mormon name, Mr. Benson should set his sights on Utah for a name change:
New Orleans JAZZ
Utah SAINTS (for Latter Day Saints)
Before the Hornets ever moved out of Charlotte, I had always thought that the Utah Jazz should trade nicknames with Lakers. L.A. Jazz has a nice ring to it, and The Salt Lakers is about as close to a perfect nickname as you could ever ask for.
Of course, New Orleans didn’t have a team at that point, but once the Hornets relocated, well, all of a sudden then it made a whole lot more sense for the Jazz to give that name back to the city that pretty much invented the word/music/style … and honestly, the Utah Hornets does actually work really well, as their minor league baseball team was called the “Buzz,” which for all I know, was probably styled to work in conjunction with the double Z’s in Jazz. When Colorado got an NHL team, their minor league hockey team moved to Utah, and the Grizzlies nickname was a pretty good fit, and if you knock out the last four letters, you still have Grizz. And then their WNBA team got a little bit too cute, and made up a nickname of “Starzz”
Anyway, the Starzz moved away, somewhere along the line the Buzz became the Stingers (meh, okay, I guess) then the Bees. Well at this point, pairing the Hornets with the Bees still kind of works nicely. I still have no idea why someone out there couldn’t have said, “Yeah, let’s make this happen, and get things right.”
So now I see Thomas’ suggestion, and I’m like, “Dang, this dude is a freakin’ genius!” While I’m a little more inclined to think that Benson is probably Catholic, and therefore not likely to be related to President/Prophet Benson, I do think that somehow this deal could probably get made, and if for whatever reason Charlotte would actually like to have the Hornets name back, I suppose then all parties involved would be happy.
Utah’s state insect are the honey bees & the state bird is the seagull
I would LOVE to see the.charlotte hornets again!!!
New orlean Hurricanes since that was where hurricane katrina occured
Don’t underestimate Pelicans!!! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sTUSnUgDXI
im born and raised in new orleans…and i have to say, the new orleans pelicans sounds hilarious and by far the least intimidating team name in history…ill still support my team but you wont be seeing me wearing any pelicans merchandise…benson is smart, plenty people just spent plenty money on anthony davis jerseys and what not …now they have to go buy a new one
Why not the New Orleans Bayou?
I would love to hear the other choices that didn’t make the cut. Would have be pretty damn bad to get beaten by pelicans.
Yeah I like the swampdawgz as well
a group of pelicans is called a Squadron… so why not call it New Orleans Squadron… much “tougher” sounding than Pelicans
this is definitely a good compromise
New Orleans Lmafaos
pelicans? sounds like a minor league team
New Orleans Voodoo
That’s already their AFL name.
Hurricanes is kind of terrible for New Orleans. And personally i think they should have stuck with hornets. Charlotte is in need of the name change more and i think flight would be great. The Charlotte Flight its original and makes sense to the area.
please seriously consider the following names:
NEW ORLEANS GUMBO
NEW ORLEANS FRIED CHICKENS
NEW ORLEANS GATORS
NEW ORLEANS CLAWFISHES
Pelicans…? Navy blue, red, and gold…? Please don’t… Choose something NBA-like and send the Hornets along with their colors back to Charlotte.
Wow the Pelicans??? That’s horrible… They were the New Orleans Jazz before that franchise moved to Utah… It would make way more since if they could get that name back it fits the culture of the city and there is nothing Jazzy about Utah lol… Nut Please anything but the Pelicans that to me gives other teams more confidence knowing they are about to face the Pelicans… Something that rolls off the tongue better like the New Orleans Knights which I think mesh well with the Saints name so your city mascots have a flow
But why should the Utah Jazz (which is a very popular franchise in Utah and has been ever since 1979, so 33 years) have to give its name back to New Orleans (where the Jazz was only a team for 5 or so years)? Just because the Hornets want to change their name doesn’t mean that Utah has to change theirs. That’s not how it works. It doesn’t matter what fits the culture of the city. The Utah Jazz and their name are so big in Utah that a name change would NOT go over well. I doubt that they’d ever change it, and people just need to accept that.
Pelicans??? OMG! It’s horrible!
What about the New Orleans Ironclads, a throwback to the Battle of New Orleans in 1815?
hey Lee i think u have the winner ironclad is a good way to show repect to the state and at the same time not sound stupid
Nah. That’s not right. I like the Hurricanes better. Or just don’t change the name after all.
That’s not a good name for a city devistated by a hurricane -__-
Why not Crocodiles?
Utah avalanche or something like that actually they’re known for their ski resorts that would be awesome !
New Orleans hurricanes Charlotte hornets, but Utah jazz doesn’t need to change
Pelicans! the Pellies for short. Not cool Knights, Saints, Tigers, i dont know but something definately cooler and more aggressive than the Pelicans! terrible! desitined for failure
How about The New Orleans Chicks with D#cks. We got plenty of those here.
hahahahaha LOOOL hahahaha this discussion is hilarious! why not rather dixie chicks? It would be more presentable… LOOOOOOOOOOOL
Pelicans??? omg.
What about New Orleans Swing, or New Orleans Easy…. something to do with the vibe of the city. But Pelican? No way.
I know a pelican is good from a mascot point of view, but please owners…. dont do it!
the New Orleans Easy sounds nice
Is this Benson guy extremely high?
Im high and I do not agree with the pelicans.. Terrible decisions there
I hate the “Pelicans”!!!! Tom Benson should let the fans vote. I personally like the New Orleans Big Shots. Pelicans…….really????stupid
How about the New Orleans Hurricanes.
Go ahead and remind them of Hurricane Katrina lol That name won’t do.
should be the new orleans katrinas…lol that messed up ill take it back
What team are you apart of? “I’m a Pelican.”
It should be “I’m a Musketeer” or even “I’m a Hurricane”.
Pelicans? It’s gotta be another name.. Thats not a good name for an NBA team. Bobcats was bad enough but Pelicans? OKC Thunder works. How about just New Orleans NOLA or Cajuns(politically that might not work)
I reckon the name New Orleans Blues is the better. Pelicans is a little – What the?
Charlotte Hornets to come back with the same colours….
Lol, I would probably quit if my team name was the pelicans. They should just move the whole team to somewhere less hurricane prone.
I’m thinking about moving out of the city because of this
LMAAAAOOOOOOO!!!! PELICANS???
HORNETS > PELICANS
New Orleans Musketeers or New Orleans Hurricanes makes sense for the city and its history
Honestly i always liked the Charlotte Hornets and plus if they get the name back they can wear their throwback uni’s, But change New Orleans to something more fearsome
How about The SwampDawgs !!!
Pelicans? wow that sounds lame…the charlotte hornets need to return however
Pelicans ??? Gotta be something better. Is there a rule that says you can’t have two Jazz ? Let Utah bite me. We can be the Jazz if we want. They are the ones that will look like a fool.
Now you are talking!
they all need to chill out and stop changing the names, jerseys and colour schemes around so much. teams lose their heritage when they do this. Look at boston celtics- they haven’t changed anything and they are sick!!!
does it really matter? it’s just basketball
very funky and funny name o.o
new orleans hurricanes
lolllllllllll. i like it.
I am all for New Orleans to change their names. The Pelicans however? Would be a tough one to swallow. What needs to happen is for Utah to change their names so that New Orleans can have the Jazz, and then the Bobcats should take the name Hornets as described in the article. Then we would be region appropriate. However, I do not see this happening as the Jazz in Utah has become a traditional favorite there. New Orleans should name their team the Hurricanes due to what the city has endured and pulled through together on or perhaps Gators due to the swamps which are found all over Louisiana. If a bird is to be used, the Herons or the Sparrows would be a more attractive choice. I do not think I would be nervous to play a team named the Pelicans, nor does the name sound attractive but the others would be more entertaining and you can definitely make a case for a perfect storm brewing if it were the Thunder vs the Hurricanes. Could make some great marketing. Look at the Wildcats, how many teams use that name? I am sure one more wouldn’t make a difference if one was college and one was a pro team. Anyhow, I would welcome the name change if it warrants getting the Charlotte Hornets getting their former name back. Bobcats has never suited the cities vibe and has seemed out of place.
You lost me at Sparrows
Pelican is the state bird. You should watch them in action. They are majestic and cool.
that is the worst name I have ever heard
Navy Blue, Red, and Gold sounds absolutely garish.
In fact, I loaded up Paint.NET and drew color swaths to compare side by side. The color scheme _is_ absolutely garish. I don’t see how they can pull that off without the uniforms being eyesores.
new orleans pelicans? thats a mouthful
HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!!!!!!! THIS CAN’T BE REAL!!!!!!! the PELICANS!!!!!!!!?
Lmfao….the Pelicans lmfao….
In Australia, someone calling you a “pelican” means they think you are a bit of a fool…
lol pelicans doesnt suit the nba
Just when you thought the franchise was moving towards the right direction. New nickname makes the current hornets wanna sting someone lol
come on Tom Benson you can do something better than that….Pelicans sounds dumb
something like New Orleans Knights would be pretty awesome
New Orleans Knights would be sick
yeah or the New Orleans Queens?
A Cavelier is a knight, so they’d pretty much be calling themselves Cavs 2.
Nice work, I like the Knights. Much better than the Pelicans.
What’s wrong with “Night”, now they could do a lot with that. The New Orleans Night is awesome! They could play off on all the vampire/zombie and all things that bump in the nite.
I’d be pleased to see Charlotte to have the Hornets name back. They should take the colour scheme back too. I don’t mind the name Bobcats at all, but it’s never going to be remembered with fondness for the era it’s produced, and Hornets might bring back a feeling of positivity and success in Charlotte.
I can’t quite imagine the colour scheme for the ‘Pelicans’ – but its an interesting name. And having NO feeling ownership of the name is a good thing. Perhaps this move could bring freshness back to two young and on the rise teams.
I’m in support.
New Orleans and Charlotte should trade names such as
New Orleans Bobcats and the Charlotte Hornets
The Bobcats name makes sense for Charlotte, technically, due to North Carolina being only behind Florida and Georgia in bobcat population if you take into consideration habitat area available. That being said, the Bobs could use a revamp and I wouldnt be too far off if I said that more throwback Charlotte Hornet jerseys are purchased every year than Charlotte Bobs jerseys. A change back to the Charlotte Hornets followed by a couple more quality draft picks and a key trade or two and Charlotte could easily be a perennial 3 or 4 slot in the east.
I hope New Orleans goes through with this horrible, horrible, horrible idea so the Bobs can reap the benefits.
loooooool
“What team do you play for?” :The New Orleans Pelicans.”
I think the Knickerbockers is even worse but what can you do when the Utah Choirboys own ‘Jazz’ its a sad state of affairs.
thats what NOLA gets for giving up our team… And the name along with it.
tisk tisk…
pelican sounds dumb