Former Pelicans coach Willie Green, family still pour into New Orleans community

It would be understandable if Willie Green had left town after being fired as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Green admittedly is still recovering from the disappointment of losing his first NBA head coaching job and isn’t ready to consider what may be next.

Even so, roughly a month after being fired by the Pelicans, Green and his family still make New Orleans their home and hope to bring a smile to 300 families in need during “The Green Family Presents: The Goodr Pop-Up Holiday Market in Central City” on Saturday.

“We just care about people. I don’t think in leadership you get a choice,” Green told Andscape. “When you are in a leadership role, it doesn’t matter. We’re called to give of ourselves wherever we are. And this was something we were going to do anyway. So, we’re just going forward with this opportunity to impact people here in New Orleans. And on top of that, we love this city. It embraced our family. It embraced me. There’s a lot of good that happened here.

“We can put all the focus just on the fact that New Orleans decided to let me go and part ways. But that’s not really just the focus for us. The focus is on continuously having an impact on places that we go to. You want to just try to leave it better than it was when you got there. To me, that’s the biggest motivation behind it is just keep doing the right thing.”

The Pelicans relieved Green of his job on Nov. 15 despite the team being plagued by injuries his entire five-season tenure. The Pelicans started 0-6 this season and were without star Zion Williamson in five of those games.

Green was hired for his first NBA head coaching job in 2021 and ended his tenure in New Orleans with a 150-190 record, including postseason appearances in 2021-22 and 2023-24. His exit comes months after executive vice-president of basketball operations David Griffin was replaced by Joe Dumars in April.

Green, his wife, Tara, and their youngest son, Miles, are still in New Orleans as the latter finishes his eighth-grade year in school. Where Green goes next remains to be seen.

The Greens are slated to partner with Goodr to share free groceries with 300 families in Central City New Orleans to bridge the food security gap at noon ET on Saturday at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market. The Goodr Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to providing accessible meals to youth, families and seniors through holiday events, neighborhood food drives, student snack packs, and more.

“This is a city where there’s always an opportunity to give of yourself,” Green told Andscape. “So, we wanted to try to bless some families before the holiday.”

“Said Tara Green: “We usually go to New Orleans Mission and we serve there. We do a meal and we sponsor it and we give away Pels gear and all that. And this year I was like, ‘Let’s do something different and let’s bless the Central City neighborhood,’ which is where the jazz market is. ‘Let’s just post up there on Oretha Castle Haley and Martin Luther King [streets] and let’s give away some groceries and have a fun day.’

“And so, we’re going to have some live entertainment, going to do the grocery giveaway pop-up market and just have some fun there bringing some joy to the neighborhood.”

The following is a Q&A with Green and his wife, Tara, in which he speaks out about his time with the Pelicans for the first time since the firing. They also speak about giving back to New Orleans and what it has given to them.

How do you reflect on your time with the Pelicans?

Willie Green: A lot of gratitude. There’s only 30 of those jobs. So, the fact that Ms. [Gayle] Benson [the Pelicans’ owner] trusted me — even David Griffin, although he tried to fire me — I’m still grateful for the opportunity that was presented here in New Orleans. It’s going to be a lot of good memories when we look back on this opportunity. And it gave me an opportunity to continue to grow as a coach and as a leader.

When it came to an end, how did you take it?

Willie Green: I was disappointed, to be honest. You still have to process that and grasp how to move forward. And so that’s what I’m doing now. I’m moving forward. But definitely disappointed. I’m disappointed for a number of reasons. One of them, there is a part of you that feels like you gave it your best, but your best wasn’t good enough. There is a part of you that felt like I needed more time with that group. So, things like that, but disappointed and a little bittersweet, if that makes sense.

It was your first head coaching experience. What are you most proud of and what did you learn that you think you will take to your next opportunity?

I’m most proud of all the people we impacted and brought together. There are a lot of people in an organization and in the community. I feel like people walking up to us and thanking us — Tara and I both for our contribution here in the city and what we were able to do. That means a lot. So, it means that there was some good that was planted here in New Orleans from us, giving of ourselves, giving of our time.

The next opportunity, if I’m blessed to get another opportunity, you continue to take that and try to implement it elsewhere. Then at the same time you’ve really got to try to enjoy it. That’s one of the biggest lessons for us is try to enjoy our time.

Are you always going to wonder what could have happened if the team was healthier during your time there?

Nah, I really don’t. I think that all of us contributed to making this the best of what we had based on who was available on the floor. And that’s what you want to do with a team. You coach the guys that are there. So, I do not look back and say, ‘What if?’ I think all of those experiences help you grow.

What’s next? I assume you want to get back in the saddle again as a head coach or a coach in general.

Nothing right now. My mind is not even on what’s next. Something will come next. It’s only been a month. So, I’m just enjoying spending time with my family, decompressing, doing some things I want to do. And then we will get to that point probably sometime in February.

Would it be safe to assume you want to be a head coach again?

We’ll see. I would never close the door to any opportunity.

Tara, can you tell me how you came up with the idea of this charity event?

Tara Green: So, we partnered with Goodr, which is a Black-owned nonprofit out of Atlanta. Three years ago, we did a joint partnership with Goodr and the SBP, which is St. Bernard Parish. They do recovery for different disaster relief funds. And they have an apartment building with 50 families that just are in need and it’s a low-income housing unit. And they were like, ‘There’s an opportunity to do something there over the holidays.’ So, we did a Fall Fest there and Goodr just knocked it out of the park. They were so great to work with and that’s why I wanted to revisit.

And so, they were out in Las Vegas doing some community outreach as well with the NBA for the [NBA] Cup game on Tuesday. And then Jasmine [Crowe-Houston], the [Goodr CEO] is supposed to come to our event on Saturday. And so, Willie, when the whole thing happened with him and the Pels parting ways, he was going to [have an event] to thank the community, thanking the fans, the organization, whatever. And it was really expensive. And I was like, ‘Well, I think there’s a better way to do this. Let’s have some value behind it and some meaning behind it.’ And his agency agreed. They’re like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a way more organic way to thank them. …’ And then Willie can naturally just thank the community here in New Orleans and kind of do it.

Willie, you have coached and played in New Orleans. What has the Green family learned about the people of New Orleans and the particular neighborhood that you are giving to?

Willie Green: Well, what I learned about the people here are they’re extremely passionate, this town, this community. You know how we like to say, ‘Real recognizes real.’ They recognize people that are authentic and pour into this community. And if you show them love, they love you right back. And that’s been constant in New Orleans. People like to work hard. It’s a city that to me always stays [honest]. If you meet a guy that’s working for UPS, he going to tell you he worked for UPS. He ain’t going to say, ‘I work for UPS, but I’m a singer, but I’m a dancer and I’m a waiter.’ ‘No, I work for UPS.’ And they take pride in that. It reminds me of just being home [in Detroit]. So that’s one of the reasons that we just continuously try to pour into this community. And the reason we chose that area is because obviously Tara’s on the board of NOJO [New Orleans Jazz Organization]. And that’s the community that music is impacting. They’re revitalizing that whole community one step at a time. And it’s a perfect place for us to continue to pour into some families.

Tara, how did you get involved in NOJO?

Tara Green: I got involved with NOJO through one of their advisors, Tim Francis, who thought I would be a great addition to the board. Served for about a year as the trustee. And then an opportunity opened up for more responsibility and I jumped right in. It’s been just a huge endeavor trying to right the ship. But I love jazz. I’ve always loved jazz. My dad’s a jazz enthusiast. It’s near and dear to my heart. I love what we’re doing for artists, bringing them here from all around the country. Artists that perform around the world.

It’s one of three venues in the United States built specifically for jazz. And so, it was sad to see that it was being underutilized. Now that we’re trying to just relaunch there, there’s going to be so many ways in which we can bring the community in there and really help different youth orchestras and youth music programs and live artists, local artists as well in New Orleans.

When you guys are going around town in New Orleans now, how are they people reacting to seeing you since your departure from the Pelicans?

Willie Green: We are getting a lot of love here, a lot of love. It’s been incredible. I’m shocked because when it happened I kind of stayed in the house a little bit more. I don’t go out as much, not out to restaurants. But lately I’ve been going to lunch with Tara and I might pop in and grab dinner somewhere. And people have just been walking up, literally walking up to our tables nonstop. And it’s such a blessing because it doesn’t have to be that way.

For the people coming on Saturday, what should they expect?

Free healthy groceries that they can take back and use to be a blessing to their families or themselves, whomever. But really it’s like walking into a grocery store and everything’s free. That makes me feel great. I’m so honored to do these types of events and to partner with good people like Goodr. This is what it’s really about: how much can we pour into other people.

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