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The New Orleans Hornets are officially no more, as the franchise will release its new "Pelican" logo on Thursday. This is a leaked version of the logo from the end of this introductory video. The logo was noticed by one Hornets fan and also picked up by ESPN's UniWatch.
Here's the moment where the logo was revealed, via Reddit.
The pelican appears to be carrying a basketball in its mouth, which may explain why it looks so displeased. I don't think leather is the healthiest thing in the world for a bird to be eating.
Pelicans, contrary to their popular reputation, are actually fairly fearsome birds of prey. The new logo has red in its eyes, which gives it a menacing look ala Voldemort wearing a scarf.
The franchise was known as the Hornets when they were in Charlotte, but there has been a steady push to change it for a name more suitable to the New Orleans area.
The switch to the Pelicans is expected to be completed by the start of next season. Along with the logo, the team's colors will change to blue and red.
As of yet, there's no word on what a potential mascot would look like.
CLARIFICATION: The logo was leaked around 3 p.m. EST. The press conference will be at 4 p.m. EST.