The NBA Pelicans ownership’s lease with the arena ends in 2029.
The owner of the National Basketball Association’s New Orleans Pelicans franchise has a lease with the state of Louisiana, the owner of the New Orleans arena, to use the facility that ends in 2029. Is there an appetite from the state to spend money on renovating the city’s present arena or build a new one? Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry was non-committal when the arena lease came up during an interview with WDSU-TV in New Orleans. He was also non-committal about offering state support behind an effort to bring a National Hockey League franchise to New Orleans. Landry did say that he wants to bid for a Super Bowl in the future and is looking forward to having a LIV golf tournament in 2026 in the New Orleans area. Landry wants big-time events in New Orleans. But can he keep the Pelicans franchise in town? The problem with the arena? It is a 26-year-old arena and is considered antiquated. The venue has problems with the number of lower bowl seats and the actual size of the building.
The arena survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in good condition. There was a renovation of the building in 2014. Through various incarnations of the leases between the owners of the Hornets-Pelicans franchise, there have been times when Louisiana has paid the owner of the franchise money to stay in town. A state of Louisiana assessment of the building pointed out high and medium priority items that need attention. The problems identified in a report concluded the venue needs new seating, upgraded lighting, a modern center-hung scoreboard, new video screens, and upgraded concession stands. Pelicans ownership operates in a very small market with very limited corporate support in a tiny TV market. The clock is ticking with the Pelicans ownership’s lease agreement up soon in New Orleans.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
