New Orleans Pelicans center Derik Queen (22) reacts after a three point basket against the LA Clippers during the second half at Smoothie King Center.
Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
New Orleans Pelicans big man Derik Queen already has great plans to go beyond basketball, saying that one of the biggest dreams in his life is to open a homeless shelter in his hometown of Baltimore and help people rebuild their lives.
During an appearance on the Cousins Podcast, Queen talked about how difficult it is for him to see homelessness in Baltimore and spoke about the shelter he hopes to create one day.
“I want to have a shelter for homeless people and get them back on their feet, but they work the shelter. But have my mom or one of my closest friends, or whoever the case may be, oversee it. But I want to get them back on their feet.”
“I want to own a whotel, a CDL. That’s right now. That’s about it. Just like, it just hurts my soul, just seeing people. Just like yesterday, I took the same way twice. I went back to the gym, and I seen the same dude. He had no leg. It wasn’t clean.”
“And then I see that a lot in Baltimore, but they make people—I think it’s like a dollar. I think it was like a long time ago, my mother told me it was like between a dollar or $5, like, a night and stuff. But I ain’t going to charge nobody. Like, they was telling me, like, the state will help you with it or something. But my goal is to get them back on their feet.”
“We’ll have, like, my mother or someone run it the first year, like the cleaning and stuff.”
Queen’s vision is just not about giving people a place to sleep. He wants the shelter to provide a path toward stability, with residents taking part in maintaining the facility as they get the help required to get back on their feet.
The Pelicans forward has said this idea has become very personal because of what he continues to see around his hometown of Baltimore.
Queen has also spoken about conversations with his mother about shelters in Baltimore that charge very small nightly fees, and regardless of how little that amount may be, he said he would want his own facility to operate differently.
He also mentioned owning a hotel and starting other business ventures as part of his long-term goals. But the homeless shelter seems to carry a very deep personal meaning.
At the start of his NBA career, Queen is already in the financial position where he could help himself pursue his ambitions.
He signed a four-year rookie contract worth approximately $24.3 million with the Pelicans in July 2025. The first two seasons are guaranteed money, with the last two seasons being team options.
Queen has also made a great impression in his rookie season. He averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field, as he has become an important young piece for the Pelicans.
But his comments show that basketball success is not the only thing that is occupying his mind. For the Baltimore native, returning resources to his community appears to be a long-term plan.
Rather than just opening a temporary place for people to stay, Queen wants to create something capable of giving homeless people a chance to get stability and rebuild their lives.
His NBA career is only getting started, but Queen already knows one way he hopes to use the platform and resources that come along with it.