All 30 NBA Team Name Origins Explained
All 30 NBA Team Name Origins Explained
Have you noticed that some of your favorite NBA teams have names that have nothing to do with the cities in which they play well. This article will explain why and how each NBA team got their name In 1948, a basketball team was founded in the Tri-Cities area by the Sioux Indian Chiefs. Illinois and Iowa were named Blackhawk after Blackhawk, who ruled the tribe that occupied the land in the region.
The name was changed to the Hawks after a brief stint with the Saints after being relocated to Milwaukee. Louis team moved to Atlanta, and in 1946 proposed names for Bostonâs newly formed basketball team, now known as the Atlanta Hawks, included the Hurricanes, Olympians, and Unicorns, with team owner Walter Brown ultimately choosing the Celtics because he liked the winning tradition that came with the nickname. . The New York Celtics were a successful basketball franchise in the 1920s
New Jersey Americans moved to New York in 1967. They wanted a nickname similar to the Jets and Mets, one of New Yorkâs professional sports teams. They chose the New York Mets, a name that stuck when they returned to New Jersey and then moved to Brooklyn. Interestingly, they considered changing the nickname to the Swamp Dragons in 1994 to help with marketing, but ultimately settled on Charlotteâs basketball nickname in 1987.
The franchise was planned after Spirit fans didnât like the name, and instead named the team in a contest, which included more than 9,000 ballots. During the 2004 expansion franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats changed to the Charlotte Hornets during the Hornets Nest Rebellion.
In 2014, team owner Richard Klein sought a nickname to portray Chicago as the meat capital of the world, to reunite with the cityâs original nickname in 1966. Another theory suggests that he was deciding between Matador and Terra Dore but decided to go with Bull because he conducted a 1970 poll of strength and stamina by the Cleveland newspaper Bull to select a name for the cityâs basketball franchise, and the finalist was Jess Forrester. Towers.
President and Cavaliers Cavaliers were ultimately chosen as the team name in a team contest conducted by a Dallas radio station, and one of the finalists was suggested by team owner Donald, who chose the Wranglers and Express, and 41 fans who suggested the name. team season. The inaugural Denver basketball team was known as the Rockets when the team entered the NBA in 1974.
Was already taken by Houston so they decided to go with the Nuggets the nickname represents the mining tradition and the Colorado gold rush in the mid-19th century the Pistons franchise was originally in Fort Wayne Indiana where they were known as the Zollner Pistons Aâs owner piston was a car part that was manufactured by Frank stoners company Frank was also the team owner and when the franchise moved to Detroit in 1957 the zoner part of the name was
Dropped and they became known as the Detroit Pistons this nickname fit well because of Detroitâs history of car manufacturing the Philadelphia Warriors was named after a team that played in the ABL in the 1920s when the team moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco in 1961 they decided to keep the nickname the name stayed with the team when they moved to Oakland but they decided to change it to the Golden State Warriors to represent the whole Bay Area the
Rockets nickname was originally chosen via named the team contest in San Diego where the teamâs first home was it referenced the liquid-fueled Atlas Rockets that was being manufactured in San Diego when the team moved to Houston in 1971 it made sense to keep the name because Houston was home to the NASA Space Center Houston we have a problem the Pacers nickname was decided by a group of the teamâs original investors it references the prominent horse and
Auto racing history in Indiana pacing describes one of the ways horses run in races and also describes a pace car which is a type of car that leads the racers through a warm-up around the track before a race when the Buffalo Braves moved to San Diego in 1978 the team owners wanted a new nickname they decided on clippers which is a type of ship that was common in the ports of San Diego when the team moved to Los Angeles 1981 the nickname stayed the lakers name,
Was originally given to the basketball team in Minneapolis because the state of Minnesota is known as quote the land of 10,000 lakes and quote when the lakers moved to LA in 1960 the name stayed and because of the decades of success should no longer be changed to Ben the city that they play for Vancouver Canada was given an expansion franchise in 1994 and needed a team name owners wanted to use a nickname Mounties but at local newspaper sponsored a name the
Team contest Grizzlies a bear species native to the area was chosen instead of Ravens when the team moved to Memphis Tennessee in 2001 FedEx proposed a hundred million dollars to rename the team Express but the NBA did not agree to it to choose the name of Miamiâs expansion franchise in 1986 the team asked for fans submissions of potential names there were over 20,000 entries that included sharks tornadoes beaches and barracudas he was the name that was
Ultimately chosen by ownership in the name entry contest held for Milwaukeeâs NBA franchise the most popular name submitted by fans was Robins skunks was also a popular submission but the contest judges chose bucks instead is a better nickname for the team because buck deer are common in the area for Minnesotaâs basketball franchise in 1986 and named the team contest was conducted nicknames submitted included Polarâs gun Flintâs and Blizzard Timberwolves was
Chosen even though it wasnât the most popular because the team wanted a nickname unique to its home state Eastern wolves are animals that commonly roam the timber forests in Minnesota when Tom Benson purchased the New Orleans Hornets in 2012 he wanted to change the nickname to better represent the city they considered brass for the brass instruments that played jazz music common in New Orleans and they also considered crew which is a group of
People and costumes at Mardi Gras parades settled on pelicans because it is Louisianaâs state bird in 1946 New York was granted a basketball franchise in the BA a team founder Ned Irish made the decision to make the teamâs nickname knickerbockers after pulling the name out of a hat knickerbockers is a term used for rolled up pants by Dutch settlers that settled in New York in the 1600s a cartoon drawing of father Knickerbocker became a
A prominent symbol of the city inspiring the name when the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 fans were given the opportunity to vote on 64 potential nicknames for the team some of the more poppy nicknames included renegades twisters and barons Thunder was the most popular among fans and thatâs what ownership decided upon an Orlando newspaper sponsored and named the team contest to name the cityâs basketball expansion
Franchise challengers was the most popular suggestion alluding to the Space Shuttle crash in 1986 other entries include Floridianâs juice orbits astronauts and Aquaman and Senate ills magic was chosen because it is a common theme in Disneyworld Orlandoâs biggest tourist attraction when the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia in 1963 the team was renamed the 76ers it is an honor of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence in Philadelphia in 1776 28-year-old general manager Jerry Colangelo was the person to choose the name for Phoenixâs expansion franchise name the team contest was conducted in 1968 and Colangelo chose from many submissions including scorpions Rattlers and Thunderbirds he saw suggestions like white-winged Sun lovers bubbas dudes and Cactus Giants but decided on Phoenix Suns another name the team contest was conducted in Portland in 1974 the new
The basketball team with over 10,000 submissions to nicknames was more popular than the others pioneers was the most popular but nearby Lewis and Clark College already used the nickname so the team settled with Trail Blazers it is a reference to the people who traveled on the Oregon Trail during the time of American westward expansion when the Cincinnati Royals moved to Kansas City in 1972 and named the team contest was conducted the nickname chosen by
Ownership was Kings when the franchise moved to California in 1985 that nickname state when the Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA were bought by a group of investors in 1973 they held a public contest to rename the team Aztecs was considered but Spurs was chosen as spur as a small spiked wheel on the back of a cowboy boot that urges a horse to go forward coincidentally one of the investors was born in a town called spur Texas but that probably didnât really
Have an effect on the naming of the team the ownership group of Torontoâs expansion team conducted market research across all of Canada 19:19 held a countrywide vote the list of potential nicknames included bobcats and dragons raptors was chosen because of the popularity of the movie Jurassic Park that was released the year before the jazz nickname originated in New Orleans in 1974 the name was chosen over names such as dukes crescents pilots
Cajunâs blues deltas and nights when the franchise moved to Salt Lake City in 1979 they, unfortunately, kept the name even though thereâs absolutely no tie to Utah and jazz music in 1995 Washington Bullets Abe Pollin was frustrated with the teamâs nickname associated with gun violence so he held a public contest to rename the team submissions included dragons Express stallions and sea dogs in 1997 he announced the franchise would change his name to Washington
