One of the few bright spots during the Jazz's tenure in New Orleans was the acquisition of "Pistol" Pete Maravich (who had played college basketball at LSU).

The city initially refused, leading Shinn to consider moving the team to either Norfolk, Louisville, or St. Louis.

[14] Finally, a new arena in Uptown, which would eventually become the Spectrum Center, was included in a non-binding referendum for a larger arts-related package, and Shinn withdrew his application to move the team.

While even the NBA acknowledged that Shinn had alienated fans, league officials felt such a demand would anger other owners as it could set a precedent.

In the first regular season NBA game played in New Orleans in over 17 years,[18] the Hornets defeated the Jazz 100–75, and posthumously retired #7 of "Pistol" Pete Maravich during halftime.

Following the season, the team unexpectedly fired head coach Paul Silas and replaced him with Tim Floyd.

In the subsequent draft, the Hornets used their first-round pick to select point guard Chris Paul out of Wake Forest University.

The 2008 NBA All-Star Game and its accompanying festivities were awarded to New Orleans and a serious marketing campaign was commenced in February 2007.

In August 2008, the Hornets unveiled a modified logo and new uniforms with the colors of Creole blue, purple, and Mardi Gras gold.

On April 13, 2012, it was announced that Tom Benson, owner of the National Football League's New Orleans Saints, had purchased the franchise from the NBA for $338 million.

[27] The Hornets traded Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to the Wizards for Rashard Lewis, whom they bought out, and a draft pick.

[28] They also drafted Austin Rivers with the tenth pick (acquired from the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul trade).

On July 11, 2012, Ryan Anderson, 2012's Most Improved Player and three-point field goals leader, was acquired by the New Orleans Hornets in a sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic for Gustavo Ayón.

[32] Following the New Orleans franchise's 2013 disestablishment of the "Hornets" name, on May 21, 2013, the Charlotte Bobcats' owner Michael Jordan officially announced the organization had submitted an application to change the name of his franchise to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014–15 season pending a majority vote for approval by the NBA Board of Governors at a meeting in Las Vegas, on July 18, 2013.

[33] Then-NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Adam Silver had previously pointed out that the league owns the rights to the name Hornets and that could speed up the process.

During the 2014–15, for the first time under the name Pelicans, the team qualified for the NBA playoffs with a 45–37 record as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

The Pelicans received Mirotić and a 2018 second-round pick for veterans Ömer Aşık, Jameer Nelson, and Tony Allen.

[53] The team also drafted Alen Smailagić and Jordan Bone, both of whom were immediately traded to the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks, respectively.

[71] 2022 draft second round pickup Herb Jones[72] would make the All-Defensive First Team as the fourth Pelican to do so.

[78] Originally, the New Orleans Hornets wore teal and white uniforms, with purple and gold added as trim colors.

[79] During their two-year residency in Oklahoma City (2005–2007), the Hornets wore modified white uniforms with the team name in front.

A teal hexagon patch with the acronym "OKC" inside adorned the right chest of their uniforms to represent their temporary home.

[79][80] In 2008, the Hornets received new logos and uniforms, featuring lettering and numbers inspired by the wrought iron designs of the city.

The following season, the Hornets began wearing a special uniform during Mardi Gras week; the design featured a purple front and a green back along with the "NOLA" wordmark in gold.

Before the 2010–11 season, the Hornets brought back a gold alternate uniform, this time with pinstripes and the "NOLA" wordmark in front.

Additionally, on the back of the jersey, the players' numbers will be gold with green trim, last name in white traditional lettering and the NBA logo will be featured at the base of the neck.

However, the Pelicans' "City" uniform for that season did not follow the aforementioned template, due to the fact that the team already sold the Hornets trademark to the Charlotte franchise back in 2014.

Instead the team wore white "City" uniforms bearing the current color scheme and "NOLA" lettering shaped to resemble a bird in flight.

[95] The Pelicans' 2022–23 "City" uniform brought back the Mardi Gras-inspired design they last wore in the 2018–19 season, but with a dark purple base.

[97] Their "City" uniform for the season featured a black base with neon green letters, which were inspired by the vibrant night life of New Orleans.