Pierre the Pelican is the official mascot of the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA, and was introduced on October 30, 2013. The name of the mascot was chosen with the help of an online poll on the team’s website. The Pelicans were originally called the Hornets and their official mascot was Hugo the Hornet before Pierre the Pelican.
In 2014, the team announced that Pierre the Pelican had injured his beak while playing in a pickup game with other NBA mascots. He suffered a broken beak when fouled by Grizz, mascot of the Memphis Grizzlies, while driving to the basket. As a result, Pierre the Pelican went through reconstructive surgery.
New Orleans Pelicans Mascot Pierre the Pelican
The previous version of Pierre the Pelican was considered scary with his big eyes and blood red beak and tongue. He sported a blue jersey with matching blue gloves and shorts, blue eyebrows and a bluish accent on his yellow furry feathers and wings. The face was a bit oversized and had a vibrant red beak and mouth. Many Twitter users called it haunting.
The new version addressed the issue by redesigning the head and giving it a yellow cartoony beak. The mascot is now more kid friendly and generic. However, no information is available about the man behind the costume or his salary.
Pierre replaced Hugo the Hornet while the team rebranded itself from the Hornets to the Pelicans. Hugo the Hornet continues as mascot for the Charlotte Hornets and is on the list of top five highest paid mascots.
Pierre the Pelican is famous for entertaining the crowd in a bone-chilling way and is present at all the team’s home games. He also represents the team at various community events. NBA mascots can also be booked for a private event, with some of the top mascots charging around $750 per hour.
FAQs
A. Pierre the Pelican is the official mascot of the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA.
A. According to Tom Bensen, owner of the New Orleans Pelicans, there was no connection between the Hornets and New Orleans, which is why it was changed to the Pelicans, as it would relate to the city better.
A. The New Orleans Pelicans were previously known as the New Orleans Hornets. They changed their name to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013.
A. Antonio Daniels is the color commentator for the Pelicans.
