February is nationally recognized as Black History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans. 

New Orleans is a city rich in both Black culture and sports culture, so for Black History Month The Hullabaloo wanted to celebrate the intersection between these cultures by recognizing some of the greatest black athletes to ever take the field or court for New Orleans teams.

Point Guard Chris Paul

Paul was the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets’ best player and yearly MVP candidate from 2005-2011. A master at taking the ball away, he led the NBA in steals for three seasons with the Hornets before doing it twice more with the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul played in New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina and helped lead the team to a second-place finish in the Western Conference. Paul was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Wide Receiver Marques Colston

Colston attended little-known Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. The school ended its football program years after Colston graduated. He was Drew Brees’ No. 1 receiver during his tenure with the Saints from 2006-2015. Colston had 711 receptions, 9,579 receiving yards and 72 touchdowns in his career, yet he is seldom talked about as one of the best receivers in league history. 

Wide Receiver Michael Thomas

While Thomas is only 26 years old, he is one of the most productive wide receivers in the game’s history already. Starting from his rookie year in 2016, Thomas has tallied 92, 104, 125 and 149 receptions, respectively. He has compiled 1137, 1245, 1405 and 1725 yards respectively along with 33 total touchdowns. Thomas set the single-season receptions record during his 2019 campaign at just 26 years old. He could get even better, which is the scary thing, with years left before hitting a decline. 

Point Guard Baron Davis

Davis played for the New Orleans Hornets during the team’s inaugural three seasons after relocating from Charlotte in 2002. He was known as a unicorn in the game of basketball, being quite big for a point guard at 6-feet-3-inches tall and 209 pounds. Davis averaged 23 points in 2003-2004 and 8.5 assists per game in 2001-2002. He played the exact way you want your point guard to play: pass-first with a knack for finding ways to make plays. Davis’ career in New Orleans, however, ended with drama. Rumors swirled around Davis that he could not stay in shape and was then traded to the Golden State Warriors. He went on to excel with the Warriors, proving he was still the same talented player. 

These Black athletes have served as role models to youth all over the world. They have been a driving force not only for their teams, but for the city of New Orleans, a city that lives and dies with its sports teams.