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New Orleans Pelicans Protecting The Nest With Loyal Fans

The New Orleans Pelicans are doing everything they can to create a proper home-court advantage for the NBA Playoffs play-in game versus the San Antonio Spurs.

Chris Dodson

New Orleans Pelicans Protecting The Nest With Loyal Fans
New Orleans Pelicans Protecting The Nest With Loyal Fans /
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The New Orleans Pelicans are doing everything they can to create a proper home-court advantage for the NBA Playoffs play-in game versus the San Antonio Spurs. The team has even given the Pels12 supporters' group tickets to the game on Wednesday. It’s a deserved honor for the fan group and helps the team in “creating an atmosphere unique to New Orleans that will show off the rapidly growing support our city has for this team,” according to one Pelicans official.

The team disclosed, "A dedicated supporters section has been part of the team’s discussions the past few months." According to the official Pels12 social media accounts, “We spoke. They listened. The Pels12 section is LIVE! …Let’s bring the energy from the watch parties to The Blender (Smoothie King Center)…This is our chance to show everyone what the Pels12 culture is about.”

Outside sources and national media personalities have questioned everything from the front office to the last few first-round draft picks since a 1-12 start to the season. The Pelicans gave their supporters a chance to talk shop with most of the local media at a recent Chalk Talk pre-game event. Joel Meyers and Antonio Daniels led the panel discussion in front of a packed house before the Pelicans vs. Spurs game on March 26.

“It’s been really exciting to hear the buzz. To provide our fans with something extra to get them excited to come out and see the team but also be a part of something bigger," a team source explained.

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Apr 7, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans mascot Pierre the Pelican reacts during a time out against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

The Pelicans organization detailed in a recent conversation, that they "think the biggest thing is obviously the performance on the court sells itself. It all starts with the performance on the court. But it is everything that comes along with that. If we are able to lay the groundwork and activate our most loyal fans now, we prepare ourselves for when we are ready to catapult up the standings on the floor. That’s what we really want. We want to have the structure in place for when the team really starts to flourish.”

“It all kind of starts with the attitude of the team, the culture of the team. You know, in past years we tried to have that but I think these guys have really bought in. I could see it during media day this year. It was a bummer when we got off to that rough start because you could see these guys really care about one another.”

The players in the locker room "are excited to be here, excited to play. The wins took a while to start coming but after the NBA's All-Star break, we went on a 4-0 run. (The positivity) becomes contagious. It’s something where we look to build on that."

The team is trying to build a culture, legacy, tradition, and fanbase all at the same time. Doing so requires pulling local talent in from other industries. The team has used the term 'legends' several times. In New Orleans, that usually means musicians.

The team is “trying to do is build our legends community within the organization. We don’t have much of a history going back to 2002 or 2012 when the Pelicans came about. We are trying to implement things to build that foundation, to be a successful franchise moving forward, and create that history. That’s been the goal.”

Even those that were complaining during the name change have come around to adopting the culture. The fanbase has grown in line with the amount of trust and goodwill earned by the team from the city.

“It’s exciting because you’ve got this organization. You’ve got the backing and strong culture that Mrs. Benson is a big part of and is here for. She wants to keep the team here, to see a successful organization.

“Winning takes care of a lot. Winning goes a long way to building a brand if you have a fun atmosphere to get fans to come out. We’ve been working on this for years. Since Jen (Martindale, Vice President of Brand Strategy) got here two years ago, she’s worked very hard to come up with creative ideas to engage fans. Things to help fans feel they are a part of the team while attending the game but also connecting the Pelicans to the local culture. For example, creating merchandise with clothing brand JetLife, working with artists like Jacq Francois, and showcasing different New Orleans musicians throughout the season.”

As for the music and musicians, “We’ve had Mannie (Fresh) and Juvenile before but not a lot of people were paying attention because we weren’t winning games. But then once you get into contention and you’re playing a game to keep your season alive, people pay attention. Things then become highlighted as opposed to playing just another Tuesday night against Memphis like two years ago when Mannie Fresh played.”

More than wins though, fans need to see the players care about playing for the city and each other. The most noticeable trait about these Pelicans is their heart.

It “goes back to what it was like during media day. When you’re looking around and there are all these questions surrounding Zion. Questions of what this team was going to look like this year. The team and the individuals in the locker room seemed to tune it out and focus on getting better each day. It’s been nice to see it all come to fruition down the stretch of this season. They went through their ups and downs early on…This season could have gone downhill.”

“You know when Herb started getting minutes over Trey early on. It was a second-round pick over first-round but Trey was never discouraged and now you see him coming along. It’s been exciting to see from these guys.”

“You got to be able to sacrifice. Got to buy in…In this team, everyone has each other's back and wants to see their teammates succeed. That is just something I notice with these guys. They are willing to sacrifice and cheer on their teammates” through the successes just as much as the struggles. David (Griffin), Trajan (Langdon), and the whole front office have done a great job assembling this roster to get the right character guys in here. There is talent. There is a strong foundation that is going to continue to grow stronger and older. This is a young group of guys.”

Some markets like Los Angeles and New York demand winning basketball. Other markets just hope the team can live up to expectations. New Orleans has grown with this team, demanding only that they have pride in the name on the front of the jersey. That's a blessing for any market.

The official said, "I think it’s important to note that these players “get” New Orleans. They want to be here, they understand what a special opportunity it is to represent this city and they want to make the fans proud."

“It speaks to the character of the city. The people down here are incredible. The goal is to be competitive but to have their support through the ups and downs is huge. I remember Willie Green saying earlier in the season when we were going through a slump ‘ya know, you have to go through this in order to get where you want to be.’ I think that leadership and understanding are encouraging for a young team. Instead of getting down and discouraged about (losing), you have to go through these growing pains to get where you want to be. I think that is what this team has done."

As far as any ill-will with the new regime, the Pelicans are operating "on the up and up. The fans here have been very supportive. I think the biggest thing as we continue to win games is being 100% all-in. I think with the Pels12 and all the support on Twitter, in the spaces, we applaud the comradery and support of the fans that stuck with us. We’ll keep working hard to bring the fans the experiences they deserve.”

There is room on the bandwagon but not much left in the Smoothie King Center for Wednesday’s game. There are only “about 500 tickets left” as of Tuesday morning. After a 1-12 start to open Willie Green’s coaching career, the Pelicans are now just two wins away from a first-round series against the Phoenix Suns led by Chris Paul and Monty Williams.

The front office has built a foundation for the "sustainable championship culture" David Griffin espoused when he was hired. Willie Green is the city's coach of the year. But the Fans? Those that have been there for every game? They are the team's true MVPs according to everyone in the organization. 

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Chris Dodson
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