New Orleans Pelicans

Once the Hornets. Anthony Davis, then Zion. A franchise still searching for a deep playoff run.

The story

Hornets, Pelicans, and the weight of the what-if

The franchise arrived in 2002 as the New Orleans Hornets, the team that moved from Charlotte. Chris Paul made them a contender, threading passes nobody else saw, before he was traded.

Rebranded the Pelicans in 2013, the team won the Anthony Davis lottery and a generational talent, only to trade him too when the partnership soured.

Zion Williamson is the latest can't-miss star, a force of nature when healthy, though injuries have repeatedly interrupted the story. New Orleans basketball is talent that never gets a clean run.

The team also carried a city through crisis, playing partly in Oklahoma City for two seasons after Hurricane Katrina before coming home to New Orleans.

For the fans

You have seen stars come and go and injuries steal the best chapters. Pelicans fans are hopeful by necessity.

For the punters

A boom-or-bust team tied to Zion's health. The ceiling is high, the floor is low, so injury news is the whole bet.

See the Pelicans odds board →Rivalries: Lakers · Suns

Power rank

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Record

17-37

Conference

West

Division