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- The New Orleans Pelicans are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team commenced play in 2002 after the NBA granted founder George Shinn an expansion franchise to play in New Orleans. The Pelicans' establishment was unusual compared to most modern expansion teams in that New Orleans' roster was not stocked through an expansion draft. Instead, Shinn transferred the entire basketball organization (including player contracts) of his former team, the Charlotte Hornets, to his new franchise. For its first eleven seasons, the team used the Hornets nickname. It competed as part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference for its first two seasons, and since 2004 has been a member of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. Due to the devastation to New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the team effectively executed a temporary relocation to Oklahoma City for the following two seasons, during which they were known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Financial troubles eventually compelled Shinn to sell the franchise back to the league during the 2010–11 season. The acquisition of the team's current name came along with the purchase of the franchise from the league by Tom Benson. Early on in the purchasing process, Benson made it clear that he intended to change the name to something more "local". Inspiration for the name change is given to Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican. The Pelicans have been owned by Benson's widow Gayle Benson since her husband's death in 2018. The Pelicans have an overall franchise record of 498–552, along with six playoff qualifications. Their achievements include one playoff series victory and one division title. (en)
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