For the third time in four years, the New Orleans Pelicans will play an NBA preseason contest in Birmingham, coming to the Magic City for another Herb Jones homecoming game.
The Pelicans forward starred at Hale County High School and Alabama before entering the NBA as a second-round selection in the 2021 NBA Draft.
New Orleans and the Houston Rockets will square off in an NBA preseason game at 7 p.m. CDT Tuesday at Legacy Arena at the BJCC.
“It’s always great to see some family and friends,” Jones said on Monday.
Jones won the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 4A Player of the Year Award for the 2016-17 season when he led Hale County to the AHSAA championship. Jones concluded his college career with the Crimson Tide as the SEC Player of the Year and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the 2020-21 season.
“I’m sure he’ll have the loudest cheers when he steps on the floor,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said on Monday. “But it’s a credit to the city. It’s a credit to the state that they’re big-time sports fans. They love supporting their teams, and we’re excited to get there and play a really good game.”
This year, Jones isn’t the only former Alabama high school star in the contest. Houston guard JD Davison earned Alabama’s Mr. Basketball Award for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons while leading the Calhoun School in Letohatchee to the AHSAA Class 2A championship in each campaign.
Davison played in 36 games for the Boston Celtics over the previous three NBA seasons. After winning the NBA Gatorade League Most Valuable Player Award for the 2024-25 season, Davison signed a two-way contract with the Rockets.
Davison played one season at Alabama. His Houston teammate, forward Jabari Smith Jr., played one season at Auburn before joining the Rockets as the third pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Pelicans are playing in Birmingham because the city is the home of New Orleans’ NBA G League affiliate, the Squadron.
Jones hopes the Pelicans are building a fan base in his home state.
“I don’t think any NBA team played in Alabama, not that I can remember growing up,” Jones said. “So I think the fans kind of gravitate towards whoever plays in Alabama to show the fans love.”
The Pelicans played preseason games against the Atlanta Hawks in 2022 and the Rockets in 2023 in Birmingham.
“I think the biggest thing for us is having an opportunity to continue to expand the game,” Green said, “especially with our team in a different market that we wouldn’t play in during the regular season. So when you have games like this going into different markets, it’s exciting getting to see the fans in Alabama. Obviously, our G League team is there, but it’s a great experience for our whole group.”
The Pelicans are picking up their preseason schedule after playing two games in Melbourne, Australia. New Orleans defeated Melbourne United 107-97 on Oct. 3 and the South East Melbourne Phoenix 127-92.
The Rockets, who added 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant in the offseason, also have played two preseason games. Houston defeated the Hawks 122-113 on Oct. 6 as Davison scored 17 points and the Jazz 140-127 on Oct. 8 as Smith scored 18 points.
Fans at Tuesday night’s game could see more of the New Orleans starting lineup than a normal preseason game.
“We’ll try to bump their minutes up a little bit more for this third game,” Green said, “and then again evaluate our team and see where we are after that. Probably dial it down a little bit in the fourth game. So we’ll get them up in the third against Houston, and then just again it’s an evaluation and see how they feel, see how their bodies feel. But definitely want to get a good run at it this next game.”
After Tuesday night’s game, the Pelicans have one preseason contest remaining before they tip off the regular season against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 22.
The Rockets also will have one preseason game left before starting the regular season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 21.
Houston Rockets guard JD Davison plays during an NBA preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 6, 2025, at the Toyota Center in Houston.(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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