Top 12 best moments of the Pelicans' 2022-23 NBA season

A pair of MVP nods. New franchise records and career milestones achieved. Endless love for our community and fan base. Pelicans nation had plenty of memorable highlights to choose from in 2022-23. In no particular order, here are 12 amazing moments we're adding to the scrapbook:

There were plenty of awesome giveaways at the Smoothie King Center this season but the giveaway that caught the most attention was the plush Pelicans hat giveaway during the Fanatic Friday theme night as the Pelicans took on the Boston Celtics. Whether at home or on the road, fans were seen showing their Pelicans pride with these hats throughout the rest of the season. Some of the other promotional night giveaways included a Chewbacca Koozie, Pelicans Building Block Set, Pierre Bobblehead, Sneaker Keychain and more.

There surely will be more debates heading into the rematches between New Orleans and Phoenix regarding Williamson’s resounding, lefty dunk in the final seconds – and reasonable points from both sides, with Williamson himself saying he got a little “carried away” on the play – but why expend valuable and precious time on that? Don’t take the bait. Just watch the highlight!

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado saw Cleveland All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell courtside and vowed that if he were given the opportunity, he’d make the game-winning shot in the title game of Friday’s Jordan Rising Stars event. True to his word, with Team Pau a three-point basket away from a championship, Alvarado swished a difficult, drifting trey over a defender from the right sideline, sealing a win vs. Team Joakim in fun fashion while earning MVP honors.

In New Orleans’ 115-96 win over the Charlotte Hornets on March 23, 2023, Ingram notched the first triple-double of his career with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Ingram became just the third player in franchise history to notch a triple-double before the fourth frame, and the third to notch 30/10/10 overall. Ingram also became the 8th player in NBA history to record a 30+ point triple-double without committing a turnover, joining Nikola Jokić (2x), Dejounte Murray, James Harden, Nikola Vucevic, Antoine Walker, Grant Hill, and Charles Barkley.

Ingram was back at it seven days later with his second career triple-double in a road win at Denver. He shot an efficient 13/22 from the field, rolling up 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the Nuggets.

New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month for December 2022 after guiding the Pelicans to a 10-5 record in the month of December. New Orleans notched two separate five-game winning streaks in December, and finished the month with an 8-1 record at the Smoothie King Center.

During the month of December the Pelicans ranked third in the NBA, averaging 118.3 points per game. New Orleans was the only Western Conference team to finish the month in the top 10 in both offensive (10^th) and defensive (6^th) rating, and also finished sixth in the NBA and second in Western Conference in net rating (3.3).

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum turned in one of the best shooting performances in New Orleans history, leading the Pelicans to their fifth straight victory, this time knocking off the Joel Embiid-led Philadelphia 76ers. McCollum made the most buckets from beyond the arc in the 21 seasons of New Orleans pro basketball, going 11/16 on long-range hoops, among his 42 points. His previous career high in that category was nine makes.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas had a couple of milestones during the 2022-23 NBA season, dunking home his 10,000th career point on Dec. 26, 2022 against the Indiana Pacers and notching his 300th career double-double on Jan. 20, 2023 against the Orlando Magic.

In the best season of his young career, New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III played in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars game and advanced to the championship round of the Dunk Contest during 2023 NBA All-Star weekend. Trey had five game of 30 or more points while also setting a Pelicans franchise record for three-pointers made in March with 60 (a franchise record for any month). Among all NBA players, Trey Murphy III finished the regular season tied for 11th in three-point percentage (40.6%) and tied for 5th in free throw percentage (90.5%).

New Orleans Pelicans center Willy Hernangomez, a quality role player over his six NBA seasons earned one of the top honors of his career when Spain defeated France 88-76 in the EuroBasket gold medal game. In Berlin, Germany, the 28-year-old punctuated his Most Valuable Player case by scoring 14 points, as Spain won the EuroBasket title for the fourth time in its last six attempts.

Larry Nance Jr. gave back to the New Orleans community in a big way throughout the season. During every home game in 2022-23, Larry auctioned off an autographed game worn jersey from him or his teammates with all proceeds going directly to New Orleans Public Schools. He represented a different school in the region with the goal of funding upgrade projects on their campuses.

The Smoothie King Center was rocking during the 2022-23 NBA season as the local New Orleans musical acts billed for in-game performances at the Smoothie King Center was better than ever. Acts including Big Freedia, Rebirth Brass Band, Dumpstaphunk, Soul Rebels, Hot 8, and many more entertained fans during halftime and in-game breaks, bringing that local flair to the gameday experience.

New Orleans Pelicans fans showed their support with sellout crowds in 17 games during the 2022-23 NBA season. Our amazing fans helped cheer the squad to a 27-14 record at the Smoothie King Center this season.