Claim: New Orleans Pelicans compete the southwest Division of the NBA's Western Conference and have been since 2002.
Evidence: The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association -LRB- NBA -RRB- as a member club of the league 's Western Conference Southwest Division.
The current divisional alignment was adopted at the start of the 2004 -- 05 season , when the now Charlotte Hornets began play as the NBA 's 30th franchise.
This necessitated the move of the New Orleans Pelicans from the Eastern Conference 's Central Division to the newly created Southwest Division of the Western Conference.