Pelicans' season ticket sales surge after winning draft lottery

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 14: Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, Mark Tatum, holds up the card for the New Orleans Pelicans after they get the 1st overall pick in the NBA Draft during the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE

Gary Dineen / National Basketball Association / Getty

Pelicans fans were quick to open their wallets after learning that New Orleans landed the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

The Pelicans received approximately 2,000 new orders for season tickets in the hours immediately following Tuesday night's draft lottery - nearly twice as many as they received after earning the No. 1 pick in 2012, according to Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

That makes the reaction from the Pelicans' ticket office all the more understandable:

#PELICANS TICKET OFFICE IS WILDIN!!’ 🔥🔥🔥 #BirdStrikes pic.twitter.com/meihqCrWdd
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) May 15, 2019

The increased likelihood of Zion Williamson joining the Pelicans also had a big impact on the team's title odds, which jumped from 300-1 to 25-1 after the lottery.