New Orleans Pelicans Uniforms Unveiled

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Published: August 1, 2013

The New Orleans Pelicans unveiled their jerseys today at a press conference at Pelicans Practice Facility on Airline Drive. Forwards Jason Smith, Anthony Davis, and Ryan Anderson, were on hand to model the custom uniforms along with All-Star guard, Jrue Holiday. Children were in attendance, lining the runway the players used to model the uniforms, and participated in the Junior Training Camp following the press event.

The long-awaited jerseys and short-awaited shorts, both home and away, were unveiled. Both sets feature “New Orleans” on the front in the team’s font and in an arc (I’d say a crescent, but there is no taper to the size), emphasizing the importance of the city and its culture, with the font being inspired by the wrought iron seen around the French Quarter and the rest of the city. The player number also appears on the front with player name and number on the back, as mandated by uniform guidelines.

The home uniforms are white, as is typical, and the road uniform are blue. A third uniform will be unveiled for next season along with a special jersey the following season. The Bird-de-lis logo appears on the back of the jersey above the name. The shorts feature the partial logo on the sides. The Pelicans also unveiled a new ligature “NO” logo that appears on the shorts on the waistband. This will appear on select merchandise. It is basically a basketball with a fancy “N” over the lines but within the “O” outline of the ball.

Here is a detailed schematic of the team’s identity: logos, uniforms, fonts, etc.


Other news:

Tom Benson likes the clean look of the logos.

Ryan Anderson says the rebrand has elevated the excitement of the players and fans.

Tom Benson reiterated the importance of the Pelicans Practice Facility, which is still under construction but is coming together. The court is in place.

He also reiterated the importance of the name to the state and the fans.

Davis has been working on his step-back jumper.

You can watch the press conference here.

You can order jerseys here. Order soon to get free shipping and a voucher for tickets. You can also purchase here.

Pelicans’ Press Release:

To continue to showcase a new identity that represents the culture and character of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, the New Orleans Pelicans unveiled their new home and road uniforms today. Dark Blue and Gold will be the prominent colors in the new uniforms, while the team’s third color, Red, will serve as an accent. The team’s home uniforms will be white, while the road jerseys will be dark blue.

The new Pelicans jerseys are available exclusively for pre-order beginning at 2:00 p.m. today at Pelicans.com. The first 500 pre-sold orders will include a voucher for two free tickets to one of the Pelicans’ first three home games of the 2013-14 regular season. Additionally, fans that purchase jerseys during the pre-sale will receive free shipping. Orders must be made by Sept. 15 and tickets are subject to availability.

“When we announced the Pelicans as the new name for the team, we were looking forward to days like today,” said Owner Tom Benson. “We love the look of the new uniforms and are especially proud to have New Orleans across the chest of all of our players who will be representing this great city and region. A year ago, we promised our fans we would build a championship-caliber team on and off the court – we promised a new brand that is representative of the Gulf South, investment in the product on the court, an improved arena to enhance the game-day experience and a new practice facility. Introducing our new uniforms is one more step in this exciting process.”

The Pelicans worked with designer Rodney Richardson to develop the adidas jerseys. The team also worked with Richardson to design the Pelicans’ logos. The word mark on both the home and road uniforms is inspired by French Quarter street signs. The uniforms will feature “New Orleans” on the front of both the home and road jerseys, making the Pelicans one of three teams in the NBA to wear its city’s name on the front of both jerseys.

The Pelicans’ partial logo is featured on the side of the shorts, while the “Bird-de-Lis” will be highlighted in the center back of the neck of the jersey. At the center of the waistband of the shorts sits a unique ligature that combines the letters ‘N’ and ‘O’ to form a basketball. This new mark, created specifically and exclusively for the Pelicans, will be used selectively by the team and incorporated into Pelicans’ branding.

“Today is a milestone day for Pelicans fans as we know they have been anxiously awaiting the unveiling of the new team uniforms,” said Owner/Vice Chairman of the Board Rita Benson LeBlanc. “The response to the Pelicans logos has been overwhelmingly positive and, with the season quickly approaching, we hope that as fans see the uniforms, they realize how every day we are working hard to bring them a first class experience. Every element of the Pelicans identity, from logos, uniform to the court design are all for our beloved and loyal fans.”

A full video of the uniform unveiling featuring Pelicans players Ryan Anderson, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and Jason Smith can be viewed at Pelicans.com.

Uniform Facts from the Pelicans:

About the Uniforms

  • Dark Blue and Gold will be the prominent colors in the new uniforms, while the team’s third color, Red, will serve as an accent.
  • The team’s home uniforms will be white, while the road jerseys will be dark blue.
  • The Pelicans worked with designer Rodney Richardson to develop the adidas jerseys. The team also worked with Richardson to design the Pelicans’ logos.
  • The word mark on both the home and road uniforms is inspired by French Quarter street signs.
  • The uniforms will feature “New Orleans” on the front of both the home and road jerseys, making the Pelicans one of three teams in the NBA to wear its city’s name on the front of both jerseys.
  • The Pelicans’ partial logo is featured on the side of the shorts, while the “Bird-de-Lis” will be highlighted in the center back of the neck of the jersey.
  • At the center of the waistband of the shorts sits a unique ligature that combines the letters ‘N’ and ‘O’ to form a basketball. This new mark, created specifically and exclusively for the Pelicans, will be used selectively by the team and incorporated into Pelicans’ branding.

How They Stack Up

  • The Pelicans will be one of 10 teams with a dark blue uniform.
  • The dual-colored numbers on the jersey are similar to over half the league that has a two-color
    number system (the rest of the league employs one color or a three-color combination).
  • The Pelicans are one of three teams to use their city name on all of their uniforms (the Knicks
    and Nets the other two). Additionally, only 3 teams use only their nickname (Sixers, Jazz and
    Lakers), the rest of the league uses a mixture.
  • The Pelicans join 10 other teams that have a traditional V-neck collar.

The Colors

  • The Pelicans’ colors are dark blue, gold and red.
  • The team’s primary color, dark blue, is taken from Louisiana’s state flag.
  • The Pelicans and Saints share the color gold, uniting the organizations, while celebrating the spirited life of New Orleans and its many celebrations (gold is also a commonly found color on the “crown” of the pelican).
  • Red represents fraternity and is indicative of the blood provision of the mother pelican and the vibrant color underneath the pelican’s throat. All three colors are found on the flag of the City of New Orleans.

Special thanks to Andrew Smith for covering the event and taking some great pictures.

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