On the heels of a third consecutive non-playoff season, New Orleans officially hired Willie Green exactly one year ago, announcing the move on July 22, 2021. The Pelicans have executed a stunning transformation over those 365 days, becoming one of the NBA’s most exciting teams, partly behind a group of new veterans and promising young players. A timeline of the past year with corresponding key quotes from prominent individuals:
July 22, 2021
PELICANS OFFICIALLY HIRE WILLIE GREEN
David Griffin: “Willie has established himself as one of the most respected assistant coaches in the NBA. In large part, this is due to a tireless work ethic and authenticity of character. He brings a vast amount of basketball knowledge and experience to our team as both a coach and former player, along with exceptional leadership qualities and an innate ability to connect with players, staff and fans alike.”
July 27, 2021
PELICANS INTRODUCE WILLIE GREEN AT PRESS CONFERENCE
Green: “We’re going to coach with love, accountability. You’re going to see a team that goes out and represents the city. We talked about being joyous. It’s one of the things I feel New Orleans is proud of, the people here, they work extremely hard. It’s a connected community, but we want to have a good time doing it. And that’s the team that you’re going to see.”
Behind the scenes at Pelicans head coach Willie Green's first press conference
Oct. 25, 2021
AT MINNESOTA, PELICANS POST FIRST WIN UNDER WILLIE GREEN
Green after the team’s fourth regular season game: “I’m proud of our guys, our staff, our organization, everyone involved. We just continue to stay with it. It takes time, but our group responded tonight. It’s such a blessing to win in this league. The talent is at such a high level. I’m so happy for our guys in our locker room – they’ve been fighting their tails off.”
Nov. 12, 2021
NARROW LOSS VS. BROOKLYN DROPS PELICANS TO 1-12
Green: “Our guys, once again, came in (and) they played together (and) they played with force. We all competed… Once again, our margin for error is really small. So we have to take care of the ball and get quality shots every time down the floor. For the most part we did that, but we’re playing against a team who offensively, is one of the best in the NBA.”
Nov. 26, 2021
PELICANS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT ON GRAHAM’S DEEP THREE IN UTAH
Green after New Orleans improved to 5-16: “I’m proud of our fight, how hard we’ve been working, and it’s showing up in games right now. I’m proud of the effort we gave as a unit. (It was) a big-time shot by Devonte’ at the end of the game.”
Dec. 15, 2021
GRAHAM’S SIXTY-FOOT BANK SHOT AT BUZZER BEATS OKLAHOMA CITY
Green: “Just proud of our guys. We’ve been fighting through adversity all season, and this group is having a fun time hanging with each other in practice. The spirit of this team is upbeat, and I’m proud of the way that they continue to fight.”
On-Court Reactions: Devonte' Graham hits game winner | Pelicans vs. Thunder 12/15/21
Dec. 23, 2021
PELICANS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT GAME AT ORLANDO
Graham on New Orleans going 11-9 after a 1-12 start: “The biggest thing is confidence throughout the team. That has a lot to do with Coach Green, just not getting down on guys. A lot of coaches with that start would’ve started panicking. He just kept building us up, to keep believing.”
Dec. 28, 2021
PELICANS RALLY FROM 23-POINT DEFICIT TO BEAT CAVALIERS
Green on the second-biggest comeback in New Orleans franchise history: “I’m extremely proud of this group. The effort, the togetherness, being down 23 points and climbing all the way back and coming out with this win was huge.”
Jan. 11, 2022
INGRAM SINKS TIMBERWOLVES WITH DEEP THREE-POINTER
Green on Brandon Ingram’s heroics: “That’s what it’s about. If we keep believing in our guys like we do, they’ll make plays down the stretch. They’re all putting the work in, so it’s not a surprise to us that Brandon is making shots like that and carrying our team.”
Jan. 20, 2022
ALVARADO RETURNS TO NYC, SPARKS PELS TO WIN IN MSG
Green on New Orleans prevailing at New York, following previous defeats at Brooklyn and Boston: “It was a blessing. It was such a blessing to be able to have guys respond the way they did. We didn’t start the trip off the way we would like but (it was) a gritty and gutsy win here in the Garden against a tough, defensive team.”
Feb. 25, 2022
PELICANS OPEN SECOND HALF WITH WIN AT PHOENIX
Green on recently-acquired CJ McCollum and Ingram combining for 60 points against the Suns: “We’re just starting to figure it out. There’s a lot of work in front of us, but those two guys were spectacular.”
Feb. 27, 2022
PELICANS THROTTLE LAKERS IN L.A. IN KEY WEST MATCHUP
Green on the 123-95 win: “Just a credit to our guys once again buying into the game plan, having game plan discipline, knowing that this team wants to attack you by getting into the paint. The guys went out and executed wire-to-wire.”
March 4, 2022
NOLA POUNDS UTAH, NOW 4-0 AFTER ALL-STAR BREAK
Green after a 124-90 home victory over the Jazz: “It's the effort that we all believe that we could get to; it just takes time to get there. Now that we’re here, we are embracing the city, our team, and our community. We want to go out every game and play hard, compete hard, and share the basketball. It’s that simple. This is what happens when the guys continue to believe in each other.”
March 18, 2022
PELICANS IMPROVE PLAY-IN POSITION BY ROUTING SPURS
Green on his players’ 124-91 victory at AT&T Center, including a 31-point halftime lead: “We’re proud of them. Anytime you can come into this arena, with the history that’s here no matter what Spurs team you play against, you know they are going to play hard, they are going to play together and they’re not going to beat themselves. To come into this building and get a win is a huge confidence booster for us.”
March 27, 2022
PELICANS RALLY FROM 20 DOWN AT HALF, BEAT LAKERS
Green: “To (the Lakers’) credit, they came out and punched us in our mouth right away. We hung in there and were resilient the whole game. The goal was don’t try to get it all back at one time. We are down 20, but it’s just one stop then one score at a time. We are so proud of that group in the locker room. That was growth.”
April 1, 2022
PELICANS HAND LAKERS COSTLY DEFEAT IN PLAY-IN RACE
Green: “It’s been a long journey to get to this point, starting the season off the way that we did. It’s a credit to the guys in the locker room and the people in our organization. More importantly, it’s a credit to God. Just keeping Him first in everything that we do. Giving Him praise and glory and just staying with it. Trusting. Believing. The season’s not over, we still have a long way to go, but we’re just building confidence and momentum at the right time.”
April 5, 2022
WIN IN SACRAMENTO CLINCHES PLAY-IN BERTH FOR PELS
Green on New Orleans qualifying for the postseason after 1-12 and 3-16 starts: “It’s definitely gratifying. It’s been a journey, getting to this point. We know we still have work to do, but we still have to celebrate these accomplishments. We’re all proud of the work (Pelicans players) put in to put us in this position.”
April 13, 2022
PELICANS HOLD OFF SPURS, ADVANCE IN PLAY-IN ROUND
Green: “We will celebrate tonight, and tomorrow morning we will get up and start preparing for the Clippers. We have a good idea of who they are as a team, but it’s going to be another extremely difficult challenge for us. We just have to get ready.”
April 15, 2022
NEW ORLEANS HEADED TO PLAYOFFS AFTER THRILLER VS. CLIPPERS
Green on the journey to reach the playoffs: “It's incredible. Once again, these guys, we keep God first in everything that we do. We try to treat each other with respect no matter what our record is, and every day that they come in the gym, they compete, and that’s from top to bottom, all of our players, all of our staff. We just stayed with it, and it’s incredible to see the results, so we’re extremely happy. A lot of work to do tomorrow, but definitely going to enjoy this one.”
Willie Green sideline motivation in comeback win vs. LA Clippers | 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament
April 19, 2022
EIGHTH-SEEDED PELICANS WIN GAME 2 AT PHOENIX
Green after his first playoff win as head coach: “We’re blessed that we were in the play-in hunt, because our last five to seven (regular season) games had a playoff-type feel. Our guys got that experience, which helped us. We’re ready for this moment. That’s what I continue to tell them: Keep believing in each other.”
April 24, 2022
SERIES TIED AFTER NOLA TOPS SUNS IN GAME 4
Green on Ingram scoring 30 points and shining in the postseason: “Brandon is playing some of his best basketball of the season. And he’s doing it on the biggest stage. It’s great to see. He’s more than capable. He’s the real deal. He puts the work in in practice and we’re seeing it on display.”
April 28, 2022
SUNS RALLY IN GAME 6, ELIMINATE PELICANS
Green on New Orleans’ outlook: “I said it before, our future is bright. We’ll soak this up, a number of things. The playoff experience was great for us, elimination games, the play-in experience leading up to that and then this loss. We feel it. Like I told our guys in the locker room, I will work this summer. It’s going to determine what happens next season, and we’ll be back in the gym getting it in, getting ready.”
April 29, 2022
PELICANS HOLD EXIT INTERVIEWS, LOOK AHEAD TO 2022-23
Green: “My message to our team is that there will be expectations (in the future). We won’t sneak up on anyone. That’s good. That’s what lets you know you’re a good team. That’s what we’re striving to become.”