November 2, 2002
Source: The Times-Picayune
On November 2, 2002 The Times-Picayune reported that "when the New Orleans Hornets brought professional basketball back to town Wednesday with an opening-night win over the Utah Jazz in the New Orleans Arena, buried in the package was an unusual practice in modern professional sport: a public, pre-game prayer offered on behalf of thousands of diverse fans. Jews, Muslims and Buddhists are likely to be part of the mix, along with Christians of many denominations, said the Rev. David Arceneaux, the Hornets' unpaid team chaplain and a key figure in the practice."