A pair of New Orleans Pelicans stars earned honors on Wednesday.
Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears and forward Derek Queen were selected to the 2025-26 KIA NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Fears was selected with the 7th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and appeared in 82 games (49 starts) for the Pelicans this season. The former Oklahoma Sooners star averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Queen was selected with the 13th overall pick last year and appeared in 81 games (48 starts) for the Pelicans this season. The former Maryland Terps star averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1 steal per game.
It is the second consecutive year that a member of the Pelicans has earned second-team All-Rookie Team honors, as Yves Missi did so for the 2024-25 season.
In fact, the current New Orleans roster has multiple players who have earned All-Rookie team honors. Herbert Jones earned second-team honors in 2021-22, and Zion Williamson picked up first-team honors in 2019-20.
The Pelicans finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 26–56 record.
Earlier in the day, the NBA announced that the Pelicans and the San Antonio Spurs will play regular-season games at Accor Arena in Paris, France, on Jan. 14, 2027, and at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on Jan. 17, 2027, as part of the league’s multiyear slate of regular-season games in Europe.
The NBA Paris Game 2027 presented by Tissot will mark the 16th game featuring an NBA team in France since 1991 and the league’s sixth regular season game in Paris. The NBA Manchester Game 2027 will mark the 20th game featuring an NBA team in England since 1993, the league’s second game in Manchester and first regular season game in the city.
The Pelicans will be playing their third and fourth games in Europe in the franchise’s history, and the first in France and England.