New Orleans Pelicans: 30 greatest players in franchise history

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P.J. Brown, New Orleans Hornets. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images) /

P.J. Brown is a familiar name to many in the NBA, so it’s no surprise he’s one of the top players to appear in a New Orleans uniform.

The 15-year veteran appeared with six different teams across the NBA. When the Hornets relocated from Charlotte to New Orleans, he emerged as a leader on the hardwood.

Brown had some of the best scoring seasons of his career in New Orleans. He put up 10.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game during their first season in town in 2002-03.

He finished with over 800 total points (832) during the 2002-03 NBA season for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign, back when he played with the then-New Jersey Nets.

He scored over 800 total points in three consecutive seasons with the Hornets from 2002 to 2005. Across 315 appearances, he produced 10.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game with the New Orleans franchise.

With a veteran crew of Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn and Darrell Armstrong, Brown played a pivotal role in the starting rotation despite being on the back-end of his career.

During their first year in New Orleans, they went 47-35 in the Eastern Conference, making the first of seven postseason appearances in their 17-year existence.

Brown remains third all-time in franchise history in rebounds (2,675) and seventh all-time in franchise history in points (3,231). He made the most of his stop in New Orleans. In the final season of his career in 2007-08, he won an NBA title as a reserve for the Boston Celtics.