New Orleans players were supposed to watch the clock strike midnight separately in the Big Easy on New Year’s Eve, but an ice storm postponed the Pelicans’ postgame return flight from Oklahoma City. There was a silver lining: Instead of celebrating the start of 2021 on their own, an impromptu, socially-distanced, mini-gathering was arranged at the team’s OKC hotel. As has often been the case since training camp, the Pelicans’ five international players used part of the unexpected get-together to joke with each other about their differing backgrounds, ranging from Steven Adams’ upbringing in New Zealand to Willy Hernangomez’s childhood in Spain to Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s roots in Canada.
Pelicans prepare for seven-game road trip, tied for longest in New Orleans history
