What division do the New Orleans Pelicans play in?

No matter how invested the fan is, most people who follow the NBA religiously can’t actually tell you what division their favorite team is a part of – let alone tell you what division all 30 teams belong to. And why would they? Outside of some tiebreaker/scheduling stuff, the division a team plays in nowadays is largely irrelevant.

(Sidebar: I say “nowadays” because there once was a time when, if you won your division, you were guaranteed a top-4 seed in your conference, regardless of your overall record.)

Hell, I cover the NBA for a living, and I couldn’t even name all six divisions (before today). And it’s for that very reason that I decided to put together a quick guide listing what division every team in the association is a part of.

Since this website is dedicated to the New Orleans Pelicans, we’ll start with their division. The Pelicans play in the Southwest Division. This division was the worst in the Western Conference last year, as only one team (the Memphis Grizzlies) ended up making the playoffs. Outside of the Pelicans and Grizzlies, the other members of the Southwest Division are the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs (aka the Texas Trio).

The other divisions in the Western Conference are the Pacific Division and the Northwest Division. The Pacific Division is comprised of the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Golden State Warriors. Unlike the Southwest Division, every team in the Pacific Division qualified for the postseason last year.

The Northwest Division is home to the world champion Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers.

In the Eastern Conference, we also have three divisions made up of five teams each. Those three divisions are the Atlantic Division, Central Division, and Southeast Division.

The Atlantic Division was the most successful this year, with four of its five teams qualifying for the playoffs (and the fifth playing in a play-in game). The Atlantic teams are the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Toronto Raptors.

In the Central Division, we have the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, and Indiana Pacers.

And last but not least, the Southeast Division is home to the Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, and Charlotte Hornets.

Promise me that you will remember your divisions now!