50 free New Orleans Pelicans trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This New Orleans Pelicans trivia quiz covers the whole franchise: George Shinn's move from Charlotte, the Buccaneers and Jazz who came before, the Katrina exile in Oklahoma City, Chris Paul and the 56-win 2008 team, the NBA's ownership and the vetoed trade, Tom Benson, Anthony Davis and the Pelicans rename, Zion Williamson's lottery luck, Brandon Ingram and the play-in years. Expect easy questions on the arena, the mascot and the biggest names, plenty of history for regular fans, and hard ones about the Louisville deal Rick Pitino killed, the names Benson preferred to 'Pelicans' and the OKC patch. Uniforms from Creole blue pinstripes to Mardi Gras purple get a turn too. Every answer was checked against primary and encyclopaedic sources before it went in, so when you miss one you can trust the explanation. Play it solo or run it as a round at your next watch party. For the wider league, our NBA trivia page is the natural next stop.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What name did the Pelicans' home arena, formerly New Orleans Arena, take in 2014?
Smoothie King Center
The naming rights went to a smoothie chain headquartered in nearby Metairie.
Q 02From which city did George Shinn relocate the Hornets to New Orleans in 2002?
Charlotte
Falling attendance and Shinn's unpopularity after a 1997 rape allegation drove the move.
Q 03Where did the Hornets temporarily relocate for two seasons after Hurricane Katrina?
Oklahoma City
They played most home games at the Ford Center; a year after they left, the SuperSonics moved there for good.
Q 04In which year did the franchise change its name from Hornets to Pelicans?
2013
The change let Charlotte reclaim the Hornets name and its 1988–2002 records the following year.
Q 05Which ABA founding member played in the city from 1967 to 1970 before moving to Memphis?
The Buccaneers
The lack of a dedicated arena drove them out, a problem the Jazz later faced too.
Q 06Which team, founded in New Orleans in 1974, left for Salt Lake City in 1979 and kept its name?
Utah Jazz
Pistol Pete Maravich won the 1977 scoring title for them in New Orleans.
Q 07Which team nearly moved to New Orleans in 1994 before the NBA blocked the sale?
Minnesota Timberwolves
They would have played in the Superdome until a new arena was built.
Q 08Which Louisville basketball figures publicly opposed the 2001 Hornets relocation plan?
Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich
David Stern recalled thinking, 'If Rick Pitino doesn't want us there, why would we go?'
Q 09Which team did the Hornets beat 100–75 in their first game in New Orleans on October 30, 2002?
Utah Jazz
It was the first regular-season NBA game in the city in over 17 years, and Pete Maravich's No. 7 was retired at halftime.
Q 10Whose number 7 did the Hornets retire at halftime of their first New Orleans game?
Pete Maravich
The LSU legend had starred for the New Orleans Jazz in the 1970s.
Q 11What was the Hornets' franchise-worst record in 2004–05, the year before drafting Chris Paul?
18–64
Injuries to the team's three All-Stars sank the season; it was their first in the Western Conference.
Q 12From which college did the Hornets draft Chris Paul in 2005?
Wake Forest
He won Rookie of the Year while the team was based in Oklahoma City.
Q 13What was the Hornets' record in 2007–08, their most successful season, when they won their first division title?
56–26
They beat Dallas in the first round and lost a seven-game series to the champion Spurs.
Which host city held the 2008 NBA All-Star Game as part of the Hornets' return from their Katrina exile?
Q 21The 'Pelicans' name honours the brown pelican, the state bird of which state?
Louisiana
A minor-league baseball team called the Pelicans had played in New Orleans from 1901 to 1957.
Q 22The Pelicans' navy, gold and red colours are each drawn from what?
The New Orleans city flag
The 'New Orleans' wordmark is inspired by French Quarter street signs.
Q 23Which All-Star point guard did the Pelicans get from Philadelphia on 2013 draft night for Nerlens Noel?
Jrue Holiday
He spent seven seasons in New Orleans and later won titles in Milwaukee and Boston.
New Orleans
The game was used to help re-market the team after Katrina.
Q 15The Hornets' 2008 rebrand introduced pinstripes and a new shade named for what, in place of teal?
Creole
Purple and Mardi Gras gold rounded out the palette, with lettering inspired by wrought-iron designs.
Q 16Who bought the Hornets from George Shinn in December 2010 for about $300 million?
The NBA itself
League ownership meant David Stern was acting as the team's president when he vetoed the Chris Paul trade.
Q 17Which team got Chris Paul in December 2011 after David Stern vetoed a trade to the Lakers?
Los Angeles Clippers
New Orleans received Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and the pick that became Austin Rivers.
Q 18Which NFL owner bought the Hornets from the NBA in April 2012 for $338 million?
Tom Benson
He installed Saints executives Mickey Loomis and Dennis Lauscha to oversee the basketball team.
Q 19Whom did the Hornets select with the first overall pick in the 2012 draft?
Anthony Davis
Conspiracy theorists cited a photo of him in a Hornets hat as proof the lottery was rigged.
Q 20Which two names did the new owner reportedly favour before settling on 'Pelicans'?
Brass and Krewe
He also asked the Utah Jazz to give back the 'Jazz' name; they declined.
Q 24Under the 2014 records agreement, the New Orleans NBA franchise is officially considered to have entered in which year?
2002
The 1988–2002 Hornets records went back to Charlotte, retroactively making New Orleans a 2002 expansion team.
Q 25Which team swept the Pelicans in their first playoff appearance under the new name in 2015?
Golden State Warriors
New Orleans had edged Oklahoma City for the eighth seed on a head-to-head tiebreaker.
Q 26Which centre did the Pelicans get from Sacramento in 2017 for a package including Buddy Hield?
DeMarcus Cousins
He tore his Achilles the following season, ending the 'Twin Towers' pairing with Anthony Davis.
Q 27Nikola Mirotić demanded a trade from Chicago in 2018 after being punched in practice by which teammate?
Bobby Portis
He arrived in New Orleans for Ömer Aşık, Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen and played well.
Q 28Which team did the Pelicans sweep in the 2018 first round for their second-ever playoff series win?
Portland Trail Blazers
They then lost in five to the champion Warriors.
Q 29Who inherited ownership of the Pelicans and Saints when the team's owner died in March 2018?
Gayle Benson
His widow became the first woman to own both an NBA and an NFL team.
Q 30With what percentage chance did the Pelicans win the 2019 draft lottery and the right to pick Zion?
Six percent
It came four months after Anthony Davis demanded a trade.