by Micah Hart

In the midst of a rebuild after dealing Chris Paul before the season, the Hornets have had to dip into the bag of tricks to make things interesting at New Orleans Arena. One thing they’ve hit upon with success has been celebrity emcees, first with Will Ferrell, and now with Samuel L. Jackson, who did the duties before tonight’s Clippers-Hornets game:



A few things to note:

1. Jackson is a funny guy, but he’s no Ferrell. They made a smart decision not having him try to replicate the “fun fact about each player” aspect from Ferrell’s intros.

2. I did enjoy Jackson working in his famous lines from Pulp Fiction, but seems to me he missed an opportunity when introducing Paul, who some fans may not have forgiven for leaving the city. I know Dave Chappelle agrees with me.

3. Having said that, I did think it was funny Jackson referenced Paul as “used to be #1 in your hearts, he’s still #3 in your program.” Paul actually received a pretty warm reception from the crowd — much nicer than many players who chose to leave a team for greener pastures. Maybe Hornets fans realize being a Clipper may end up being no picnic.

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