The New Orleans Pelicans have become one of the most hated and disrespected teams in the NBA throughout the course of this offseason. It's not just angry fans on X, it's sportsbooks giving them an extremely low win total, popular sports media outlets grading their offseason poorly, so it's safe to say that hating on the Pelicans is trending in the NBA world.
This trend continued today when the NBA announced the National Games schedule for the Group Play portion of the Emirates NBA Cup. Across all 15 games, the Pelicans are featured in zero of them.
In Group Play of the Emirates NBA Cup 2025, 15 games will air nationally across Prime Video, NBC and ESPN.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 13, 2025
Complete Group Play national games schedule ⬇️
NBA Schedule Release presented by @Ticketmaster. pic.twitter.com/PHV8C9ACyg
I mean, how is that possible? How does a team with a superstar like Zion Williamson keep getting disrespected like this?
Now I do understand the Pelicans aren't in the biggest market and may not always draw in the best TV numbers. But one thing I can't believe is that the Grizzlies got a prime time game vs the Lakers, and the Pelicans didn't. What fan of basketball would rather watch LeBron vs the Grizzlies rather than LeBron vs Zion? I don't think anyone.
Even the Miami Heat somehow got a nationally televised game despite going 37-45 last season and having their only offseason move being adding Norman Powell. Seeing the Heat get this type of treatment from the NBA just felt like a gut punch to Pelicans fans.
More fuel to the fire
According to an article published by Sports Illustrated, the Pelicans had 13 nationally televised games last season. This was likely due to their success from the previous year, as they finished with 49 wins in the 2023-24 campaign and made the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference.
This shows that the disrespect the Pelicans have faced is likely due to their down season last year. However, punishing the Pelicans for having an injury-riddled season that forced them to roster a ton of non-NBA-level players seems unfair, especially when considering how much talent they have when healthy.
There's no doubt in my mind that with a healthy roster and the additions of Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Derik Queen, and Jeremiah Fears, the Pelicans can prove that last year was a fluke.
New Orleans is set to have one of the league's most exciting high-scoring offenses next season, making the NBA's decision not to include the Pelicans a major disservice. This disservice extends beyond the Pelicans and their fans as it will also take away the chance for many casual fans to watch the Pelicans next season.