Former Pelicans who went on to make the Hall of Fame

This past weekend, the basketball world just celebrated the induction of the 2023 Hall of Fame Class. And while this current class didn’t feature any former members of the New Orleans Pelicans (or Hornets), we figured we would take a look back at all the players who ever suited up for the organization and gone on to become Hall of Famers.

The funny thing about that look-back, however, is that there isn’t really much to look back at. So far, technically speaking, no player who has ever played for New Orleans has ever gone on to make the Hall of Fame.

We say ‘technically speaking’ because there have been three players who played for the Charlotte Hornets that went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. And to be clear, we’re not talking about the Charlotte Hornets team that currently exists in today’s NBA. We are talking about the team that eventually moved to New Orleans (in 2002) and became the New Orleans Hornets (and then the New Orleans Pelicans).

When you include that part of the franchise’s history, then you have three players who have suited up for the organization and gone on to be Hall of Famers. Those three players are Alonzo Mourning, Vlade Divac, and Robert Parish.

Mourning played for the Hornets for the first three years of his NBA career, spanning from 1992 to 1995. Divac played for them from 1996 to 1998 – after his run with the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers. And lastly, Parish spent one singular season of his 21-year career with the team (the 1995-96 season).

When you think about it, it makes sense that the New Orleans version of this franchise doesn’t have any Hall of Famers among their alumni. They are still a very new franchise (their first season wasn’t until 2002-03). And they haven’t been very good since they came to New Orleans (only winning two playoff series in 21 years of doing business).

However, this absence of Hall of Famers will surely change eventually, as franchise icons Chris Paul and Anthony Davis are locks to make it whenever they decide to hang it up. And who knows, maybe longtime New Orleans forward David West someday gets a Hall of Fame nod himself.