Logo of a current National Basketball Association team, the New Orleans Pelicans. This franchise started out in 1988 in Charlotte as the Hornets, but relocated to New Orleans in 2002, keeping the “Hornets” nickname until this past season, when the name was changed to honor both the state bird – the Brown Pelican – and the history of a minor league baseball team that used that name from 1901 until 1957. The team’s current owner is Tom Benson, who also owns the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.