24 years ago today: The Hornets’ first game in New Orleans, Baron Davis’ 21 and 10, and a 100-75 rout of the Jazz

Twenty-four years ago today, on October 30, 2002, the Hornets played their first game as a New Orleans team. They beat the Utah Jazz 100-75 at New Orleans Arena in front of an announced sellout crowd of 17,668. Baron Davis led the way with 21 points and 10 assists.

The opponent was a nice touch. The Jazz had started out in New Orleans in 1974 and left for Salt Lake City in 1979, so the city’s last NBA team was standing on the other end of the floor when its new one tipped off. The game also counts as Game 1 in the record book of today’s Pelicans, because the Charlotte years went back to Charlotte in 2014.

From an empty Charlotte Coliseum to a packed house

The Hornets’ last years in Charlotte had gone badly off the court. Owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge could not get a new arena built, the relationship with the city fell apart, and the crowds shrank. Even home playoff games in the spring of 2002 left big parts of Charlotte Coliseum empty, though Davis and the Hornets beat Orlando in the first round before losing to New Jersey.

On May 10, 2002, NBA owners approved the move to New Orleans. All 29 ownership groups voted yes on the relocation itself. Memphis cast the only no vote on the terms, objecting to a $30 million relocation fee spread over five years. Shinn and Wooldridge walked into their first New Orleans news conference behind a brass band.

“Y’all ready for some roundball?”

Mayor Ray Nagin opened the night by asking the crowd that question. Commissioner David Stern thanked the fans “for having us back.” The Hornets wore white jerseys with NEW ORLEANS written across the chest in teal, and the building, which holds about 17,200 for basketball, was standing room only.

Karl Malone, a Louisiana native, hit an elbow jumper 46 seconds in for the first points of the night. It was a close game for three quarters. Utah led 22-20 after one, New Orleans led 49-38 at halftime, and the Jazz cut it to 68-64 going into the fourth.

Then coach Paul Silas went with three guards, and the Hornets won the fourth quarter 32-11. Courtney Alexander scored 15 of his 19 points in the period. With 5:22 left, his breakaway dunk pushed the lead to 19 and brought the crowd to its feet. Robert Traylor’s dunk with 42.9 seconds left got another standing ovation.

#MemoryLayne Oct. 30, 2002, Opening tip of the first-ever New Orleans Hornets regular season game. New Orleans posted a 100-75 win over the Utah Jazz, the Crescent City's previous #NBA team (from 1974-79) pic.twitter.com/C0nHItbciI

— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) October 30, 2018

• Final: New Orleans Hornets 100, Utah Jazz 75, Wednesday, October 30, 2002, at New Orleans Arena. Attendance 17,668. Gary Benson, Blane Reichelt and Eddie F. Rush officiated.
• Hornets: Davis had 21 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in 38 minutes, and made 4 of 6 from 3-point range despite a sore back. Alexander scored 19 off the bench, Jamal Mashburn had 16 points and 9 rebounds, and David Wesley added 15 points and 4 steals. Jerome Moiso made all five of his shots for 10 points.
• Jazz: Malone scored 20 on 5-of-16 shooting, John Stockton had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and DeShawn Stevenson added 12. Utah shot 39.7 percent, went 0 of 3 from 3-point range and committed 20 turnovers.
• The swing: New Orleans had 12 steals and forced 20 turnovers. The Hornets were plus-25 with center Jamaal Magloire on the floor.

What they said

“Probably one of the best crowds I’ve ever played in front of,” Davis said. “They were on the refs. They were on the other team. They were loud.”

Asked about his own night, he kept it short. “I just play, try to entertain the fans,” he said.

Silas compared it with the last season in Charlotte. “I can’t say enough about what we have experienced and what we’re experiencing now,” he said. “It’s like night and day.”

47 wins, then Silas was gone

The Hornets won five of their first six games. The packed opening-night house did not last, though, as several early home games drew around 13,000. For the season, they averaged about 15,600 a night, which ranked 19th of 29 teams.

On the court, the first New Orleans team was good. Mashburn averaged 21.6 points, made the All-Star team and was named third-team All-NBA. Davis averaged 17.1 points and 6.4 assists, but injuries limited him to 50 games. The Hornets went 47-35, finished third in the Central Division, and lost to Philadelphia in six games in the first round.

Two days after that series ended, on May 4, 2003, the team let Silas go, even though he had taken it to the playoffs four years in a row and won 208 games. Tim Floyd replaced him in June. Silas died in December 2022 at age 79.

What came after

New Orleans did not have its team to itself for long. After Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the Hornets played most of their home games in Oklahoma City for two seasons before coming back full time in 2007. A year later, Chris Paul led them to 56 wins and the second round of the playoffs.

Tom Benson bought the team in 2012, and it became the Pelicans for the 2013-14 season. The Hornets name returned to Charlotte in 2014, along with the 1988-2002 history. New Orleans Arena is now the Smoothie King Center. The franchise’s official story still starts on this night, with Davis, a packed house and a 25-point win over the team the city had lost.