Editing New Orleans Pelicans (section)

====2013–2015: Hornets to Pelicans====
[[File:Anthony Davis 12711093105.jpg|thumb|200px|Anthony Davis, seen here in 2014, was drafted first overall by the Pelicans in 2012 and subsequently became the focal point of the team for many years.]]
New owner Tom Benson had indicated early in his ownership that he wished to change the team's name to something more local, even preferring that the [[Utah Jazz]] – founded in [[New Orleans]] in 1974 and played there until 1979 – give up the "'''Jazz'''" name, but the Jazz indicated they had no interest in returning the name due to over 30 years of history associated with it. Benson had also heavily favored the names "Brass" and "Krewe".

However, on December 4, 2012, it was reported that the Hornets would change their name to the New Orleans Pelicans beginning with the 2013–14 season.<ref name="Moore">{{cite web |last=Moore |first=Matt |url=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/21264614/report-hornets-to-change-name-to-new-orleans-pelicans-in-2013-2014 |title=Report: Hornets to change name to New Orleans Pelicans in 2013-14 |publisher=CBSSports.com |date=June 11, 2008 |access-date=December 7, 2012 |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118072219/http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/21264614/report-hornets-to-change-name-to-new-orleans-pelicans-in-2013-2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The team name is inspired by Louisiana's state bird, the [[brown pelican]].<ref name="List of Louisiana State symbols">{{cite web |url=http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/state/symbols.htm |title=List of Louisiana State symbols |publisher=Louisiana Division of Administration |access-date=January 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329163705/http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/state/symbols.htm |archive-date=March 29, 2013}}</ref>

The name "Pelicans" previously had been used by a [[New Orleans Pelicans (baseball)|minor-league baseball team]] that played in New Orleans from 1901 to 1957.<ref>{{cite news|last=Eichenhofer|first=Jim|title=Pelicans nickname has century-plus history in New Orleans|url=http://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/pelicans-nickname-has-century-plus-history-new-orleans|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Pelicans.com|date=September 27, 2013|access-date=September 27, 2013|archive-date=October 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013040052/http://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/pelicans-nickname-has-century-plus-history-new-orleans|url-status=live}}</ref> The Hornets organization officially confirmed the name change in a press conference held on January 24, 2013, where officials unveiled the team's new logos and navy blue–gold–red color scheme.<ref name="LogosUnveiled" /> On April 18, 2013, after the end of the team's 2012–13 season, the team's name was officially changed to the Pelicans.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite press release|title=New Orleans Pelicans Officially Adopt New Namesake|url=http://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/new-orleans-pelicans-officially-adopt-new-namesake|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Pelicans.com|date=April 18, 2013|access-date=August 10, 2015|archive-date=October 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024185804/http://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/new-orleans-pelicans-officially-adopt-new-namesake|url-status=live}}</ref>

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 NBA season|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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bobcats Sports & Entertainment Applies to Change Team's Name to Hornets|url=http://www.nba.com/hornets/bobcats-sports-entertainment-applies-change-teams-name-hornets|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Hornets.com|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=June 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606232003/http://www.nba.com/hornets/bobcats-sports-entertainment-applies-change-teams-name-hornets|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jordan: Bobcats changing name to Hornets|url=http://www.nba.com/2013/news/05/21/bobcats-change-name-to-hornets/index.html|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=NBA.com|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=June 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607135702/http://www.nba.com/2013/news/05/21/bobcats-change-name-to-hornets/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The NBA unanimously approved the name change starting with 2014–15.<ref>{{cite web|title=NBA approves Charlotte's name change|url=http://www.nba.com/2013/news/07/18/board-of-governors-name-change.ap/index.html|website=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc|date=July 18, 2013|access-date=July 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507082412/http://www.nba.com/2013/news/07/18/board-of-governors-name-change.ap/index.html|archive-date=May 7, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On June 27, 2013, during the [[2013 NBA draft]], the Pelicans selected [[Nerlens Noel]] 6th overall, and traded him along with a 2014 protected first-round pick for [[NBA All-Star Game|All-Star]] point guard [[Jrue Holiday]] of the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] and the 42nd pick, [[Pierre Jackson]].<ref>{{cite web|author1=Keith Pompey|author2=Marc Narducci|title=Holiday-Noel trade becomes official|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/Holiday-Noel-trade-becomes-official.html|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=October 17, 2013|access-date=September 7, 2015|archive-date=June 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601042416/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/sports/sixers/Holiday-Noel-trade-becomes-official.html|url-status=live}}</ref> At a May 20, 2014, press conference announcing the Charlotte Bobcats' official team name change to Hornets, it was also announced that the Pelicans agreed to transfer the records and statistics of the original Hornets (1988–2002) to the current Charlotte franchise, thus unifying all of Charlotte's NBA basketball history under one franchise; the team records and statistics since the 2002 move to New Orleans would be retained by the Pelicans, retroactively turning the Pelicans into a 2002 [[expansion team]].<ref name="HornetsNameReturnsToCarolinas" /> As a result, the Hornets are considered in the league records as having suspended operations from 2002 to 2004, became the Bobcats from 2004 to 2014, and then the Hornets again.