Despite the New Orleans Pelicans having an above .500 record since returning from the All-Star break, the biggest topic of discussion surrounding the team has been Stephen A. Smith's new rivalry with Zion Williamson.
All this started after Williamson sat down with ESPN's Malika Andrews and addressed everything from rumors about his eating habits to how the criticism he faced online affected him. This was followed up by Stephen A. calling out Z, claiming nothing was made up, and even going as far as to say that Williamson is addicted to food and, at one point, was hiding food under his bed. The Pelicans' official Twitter account followed up on Stephen A.'s comments, mocking him and highlighting his lack of athleticism.
Stephen A. responded to the post today, lashing out and claiming he is more popular than the Pelicans outside of Williamson and that the world forgets the team exists. However, some of the points he made about the franchise's lack of success are valid and should be noted by the team's decision-makers.
For context, he also said these comments were targeted at the wonderful people, city, and food of New Orleans, but rather at the social media team.
"Worth about $3.5 billion, that ranks 29th out of 30 teams in the NBA...this is your 24th year in the NBA, you use to be the Hornets now you're the Pelicans that's two nicknames, that's how many playoff series victories you have...regular season ranks 23rd out of 30 teams since 2002-2003...just this past month you clinched your 15th losing season in 24 years...I got more, I'm just not going to waste our viewers' time talking about a franchise struggling to be relevant."
Although this message was directed at the team's social media admin, Stephen A.'s points are valid, and they should be a massive eye-opener for owner Gayle Benson and other decision-makers.
The fan base deserves better
At the end of the day, no matter how you feel about Stephen A. Smith, you have to admit that his comments about the Pelicans were necessary. By calling out the Pelicans, he may have finally triggered change, and we may see fans get a team they can be proud of every night.
This is a fan base that has waited almost 25 years for some form of success in the NBA, and it just hasn't happened. While Stephen A. said he believes hiring Joe Dumars is the start of a turnaround in New Orleans, it's hard to believe. Not just because, in his first offseason, he made several questionable moves, like trading away the team's first-round pick this season during the 2025 NBA draft, but more because the team's owner doesn't seem to care.
New Orleans has been middle of the pack or bad for too long, and for a fan base that is as passionate as Pelicans fans are, they need more. The Big Easy is a city built on working hard and loyalty. Fans don't need some 65-win team every year, but they want to see a team with direction, and that is building towards something.
The Pelicans right now are neither, as they float between the Zion era and the Derik Queen era. But hopefully, the comments Stephen A. Smith made are enough to enact some change.