Former New Orleans Pelicans Player Back With Media Crew As TV Analyst

A former New Orleans Pelicans player is back with the franchise, this time working with the media.

Nov 10, 2018; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Wesley Johnson (33) and Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) vie for the ball in the first quarter at the Smoothie King Center. / Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans brought back a former player this offseason when they signed point guard Elfrid Payton.

Payton didn’t make the training camp roster, but was re-signed over the weekend and could be fighting for one of the roster spots on the end of the bench. It turns out he wasn’t the only player making a return to the franchise.

Former forward Wesley Johnson also made his return to the Pelicans this offseason. But, unlike Payton, it is not to be a player.

Instead, the No. 4 pick from the 2010 NBA Draft is joining the media team. He is set to be a TV analyst for the pregame and postgame shows on Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network.

“I think for me, it shows me in a different light. It shows me in a different way than just playing basketball. I think for me, being able to voice what I’ve learned as far as on and off the court, the I.Q. of the game, what goes into it day by day, I get to show that side of me,” Johnson said, via Christian Clark of NOLA.com, when asked why he wanted to venture into the media.

It was a fair question to ask because, technically, the veteran isn’t retired from the NBA. He just stopped playing with the COVID-19 Pandemic shutdown the league while he was overseas with his family in Greece.

He played one season with Panathinaikos before the pandemic led to him exploring what was next in his professional life.

“Everybody asks me that,” Johnson said. " 'Did you sign the papers?’ I’m like, 'No, I didn’t.' But I stopped playing that COVID year — like 2020. That’s when we came back. In March (2020). When the travel ban stopped. That’s when I officially stopped.”

Before coming back to the New Orleans family, he spent time with the LA Clippers. In the four years between the shutdown and joining the broadcast team as an analyst, Johnson was doing some player development and coaching for the Clippers.

He received a crash course in several areas, including draft preparations and how to conduct a workout. Summer Leagues was another place he was present at before finding a home with the Pelicans again.

Johnson played 26 games for New Orleans during the 2018-19 campaign, the last time he appeared in an NBA game. It is there that he realized he had something to offer after his playing days were complete.

“I think for me, that was the time I got to realize I was a vet on a team and could help the guys out. Seeing the guys go through the same mental battles, wondering why you aren’t playing or what you should do. I was mainly a voice to help them get through whatever they were going through. I think for me, it was one of those moments where you see your calling. You see what this could be for you post-career if you go down that road,” he said.