The New Orleans Hornets are getting a new name. The Hornets announced the organization's plans to re-brand as the New Orleans Pelicans for the 2013-2014 season on Thursday evening.
Back in December, rumors leaked out about the team's new name. Although that move alone doesn't do much damage to the NBA's record book, there is a chance that a possible ensuing re-branding could muck things up considerably for fans, the media, the internet and more. If the Charlotte Bobcats decide to become the Charlotte Hornets, it would create a second existence in NBA history of the same name. The New Orleans Hornets franchise moved from Charlotte last decade, which means the current Charlotte club might be confused with the franchise of the same name that played there more than ten years earlier.
There is a chance of that same problem occurring in the northwest, if the Sacramento Kings do move to Seattle and decide to become the Super Sonics. The current Sonics franchise is the Kevin Durant-led Oklahoma City Thunder.
Three other teams in the league have nicknames from their previous stops: the Los Angeles Lakers (who started in Minnesota), the Utah Jazz (the original New Orleans NBA franchise) and the artists formerly known as the Vancouver Grizzlies (now in Memphis).
The Pelicans name has been used once before in New Orleans as the name of a minor league baseball team. The Pelicans had two players who went on to be Baseball Hall of Famers: the recently deceased Earl Weaver and Shoeless Joe Jackson.
The current Minor League Baseball franchise closest to New Orleans is the Zephyrs, in the suburb of Metairie. The Zephyrs are the AAA affiliate of the Miami Marlins.
See the Pelicans' logo below: