New Orleans Pelicans Players Show Support For Hometown Saints Team

Everyone is excited for the Saints hot start to the season, including a few New Orleans Pelicans players.

May 14, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans interview room before the start of rookie minicamp at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints share many things in the city of New Orleans. Both teams share a practice facility in the suburb of Metairie, and both share property in the vicinity of the downtown part of the city. In Sunday's dominating victory over the Dallas Cowboys, a couple of Pelicans players shared their love for the Saints on social media.

After the Saints went up 21-6 early in the second quarter, newly acquired guard Dejounte Murray tweeted that Saints defensive end Chase Young told him the team would be for real this season.

Yo @youngchase907 Told Me The SAINTS Was Foreal And I Can’t Lie They Look Like The REAL DEAL!!!! 🏈

— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) September 15, 2024

Murray is the Pelicans' prized offseason acquisition after trading away Larry Nance, Jr., Dyson Daniels, Cody Zeller, E.J. Liddell, and two future first-round picks for the dynamic All-Star guard. Murray is a known Seattle Seahawks fan, being born and raised in Seattle, Washington, but since arriving in New Orleans has embraced his new team and city.

"I understand my role in this business. I'm a basketball player.....As far as New Orleans, this is home now," Murray told reporters during his introductory press conference. The former All-Star guard is expected to help the Pelicans compete in the loaded Western Conference this upcoming season.

The Pelicans will only go as far as star Zion Williamson takes them, but the star forward was in Dallas watching the Saints-Cowboys matchup. Many know Williamson's affinity for the city of Dallas, calling 'Big D' one of his favorite NBA cities to play in. The two-time All-Star posted his support for the Pelicans on Instagram.

CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson supporting the Saints ⚜️🤝 pic.twitter.com/7Igz5KAqAE

— Boot Krewe Media (@BootKreweMedia) September 15, 2024

This is an important sixth-season upcoming for Williamson. He had the healthiest season of his career but injured himself in the Play-In Tournament game versus the Los Angeles Lakers. His hamstring injury sidelined him for the rest of the season, preventing him from participating in the playoffs. Williamson has yet to play in a playoff game in his career.

Starting guard CJ McCollum also posted about the Saints' 44-19 victory on his social media. The team begins training camp on October 1st in Nashville, Tennesee, while the team's training facility goes through renovations. New Orleans won 49 games last season, the second-most in franchise history. Despite the record, the Pelicans finished as the 8th seed and were swept in the first round of the playoffs.

New Orleans has plenty of questions heading into the new year, including Brandon Ingram's contract dispute and the lack of size in the frontcourt. The Pelicans have increased their win total in all three seasons under Coach Willie Green and will look to move past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018.