New Orleans Pelicans Logo Unveiled

The New Orleans Hornets will officially become the New Orleans Pelicans at the start of the 2013 NBA season. Owner Tom Benson made the official announcement today as he unveiled the new team logo.

Benson told NOlA.com:

“The primary focus, the primary goal was obviously trying to find that iconic symbol or logo that could really relate to the fans and community and the region. You have to remember this is not just about downtown New Orleans, it’s about this entire region that we serve. The pelican certainly does do that. We intend to use this, the logo and image, as a platform for what we are doing in the community as well.”

The team will remain the New Orleans Hornets for the rest of the season this year, but Benson said that Pelicans merchandise will be hitting stores soon. The official team page at NBA.com has already been changed to include the new Pelicans logo.

The pelican is the state bird of Louisiana and, according to Benson, represents the culture of both New Orleans and the state.

Benson said:

“We really wanted to find that iconic name that really is special to New Orleans, that has a special New Orleans feel that our fans can resonate with and say hey ‘that is new Orleans that is our culture that is who we are. We wanted to find that iconic symbol just like the fleur de lis is for the Saints.”

Here’s a look at the New Orleans Pelicans logo.

What do you think of the new logo? Are you ready to root for the Pelicans?

The team also announced today that the team’s colors will be blue (to represent the state flag), gold (representing an embelished New Orleans lifestyle / ties in with the New Orleans Saints), and red (to represent brotherhood).