New Orleans Hornets shooting guard Austin Rivers is given encouragement by New Orleans Hornets power forward Anthony Davis during the second half of their NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors in New Orleans, La. Dec. 28, 2012. (REUTERS/Sean Gardner)
The New Orleans franchise is expected to formally announce its new Pelicans nickname and reveal team colours and logos on Thursday, according to Yahoo Sports.
The nickname change will take place before the start of next season. The team’s colour scheme reportedly will be blue, gold and red.
When the franchise relocated from Charlotte in 2002 after Tom Benson purchased the team from George Shinn, the Hornets nickname didn’t change. But Benson has wanted a name more closely tied to the region.
The pelican is Louisiana’s state bird. A New Orleans minor-league baseball team also carried the nickname from 1889 to 1959.
The other names under consideration were Mosquitos, Swamp Dogs, Bullsharks and Rougarou.
