The New Orleans Pelicans retired the number 7 in honor of legendary guard Pete "Pistol Pete" Maravich. Although Maravich never played for the modern New Orleans franchise—having starred instead for the original New Orleans Jazz during the 1970s and the Louisiana State University Tigers—the organization chose to retire his number to celebrate his monumental impact on basketball history and culture throughout the state of Louisiana. His mesmerizing ball-handling and prolific scoring made him an immortal icon of Southern basketball.