Home venues in Ticket Timeline's game data
The Pelicans' NBA lineage began in 1988 as the Charlotte Hornets, an NBA expansion team. Following the 2001–02 season, the franchise relocated to New Orleans, becoming the New Orleans Hornets and moving into New Orleans Arena, which had opened in 1999. Hurricane Katrina forced the team to split home games between New Orleans and Oklahoma City for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, playing as the "New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets," before returning to New Orleans full-time for 2007–08. In 2013, the franchise renamed itself the New Orleans Pelicans, and in 2014 the NBA formally split the shared Hornets history: Charlotte's new 2004 expansion franchise received the original 1988–2002 Hornets records, while this New Orleans franchise retained the 2002–2013 Hornets-era history as its own. The arena itself was renamed Smoothie King Center in 2014, the same year as the branding change.
- Former identity, same building: New Orleans Hornets (2002–2013) — the franchise's name before the 2013 Pelicans rebrand
- Temporary displaced home: Ford Center, Oklahoma City (2005–2007) — following Hurricane Katrina
- Current home: Smoothie King Center (1999–present) — opened 1999 as New Orleans Arena; renamed Smoothie King Center in 2014
Ticket Timeline's game data covers this franchise's New Orleans arrival from 2002 forward; the franchise's full NBA lineage dates back to 1988 in Charlotte, though the 1988–2002 original-Hornets records now belong to Charlotte's separate, current Hornets franchise.
If your ticket says New Orleans Hornets, that's this same franchise under its 2002–2013 name. If it says Ford Center or a Oklahoma City address, that's a Hurricane Katrina-era relocation game from 2005–2007—not a permanent move.
New Orleans Pelicans play home games at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA, USA. Dates for those nights are anchored in New Orleans time. The building list above is what Ticket Timeline uses when an older ticket names a former team name, a relocation-era venue, or an earlier name of the same building.