BY ISAAC OWUSU – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
Ever wanted to know how your favourite, or least favourite, NBA team got its name?
Well wonder no more as Fan Fuel has all the answers.
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Atlanta Hawks
Formed in 1946 as the Buffalo Bisons of the National Basketball League, they were renamed to the Tri-Cities Blackhawks after their move to Moline, Illinois 13 games into their first season.
The new name was a tribute to the Black Hawk War that took place in Illinois in 1832. In 1951, the team moved once again to Milwaukee and were known simply as the “Hawks”. In 1955 the team was once again on the move to St. Louis where they stayed until 1968, when they officially settled in Atlanta as the Hawks.
Boston Celtics
Upon formation of the team in 1946, Walter Brown wanted to find a way to fill the Boston Garden. Brown revived the name “Celtics” which was taken from a team in New York with the same name. Considering the high Irish population, Brown felt this name would catch the attention of the community.
Charlotte Bobcats
The team was awarded to Charlotte in 2004, resulting in a contest to name the team. The final names were “Bobcats” “Dragons” and “Flight”. Owner Bob Johnson saw a personal bond with his first name and first portion of the nickname of the winning nickname.
The cat-related name works well with fans as the NFL’s Panthers were already in existence in Carolina, and the bobcat represents the city as it is a predator found in the Carolinas.
Chicago Bulls
Legend has it, as founder Dick Klein brainstormed out loud team names such as the “Matadors” and “Toreadors”, his son boldly told him “Dad, that’s a bunch of bull.” In actuality, Klein named the team as a reference and salute to the Chicago’s position as the livestock capital of the United States.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The team entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion franchise, who opened a contest through newspaper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer. It was the Jerry Tomko, father of future MLB pitcher Brett Tomko, who suggested the “Cavaliers” name, which was selected by readers.
Dallas Mavericks
In 1979, owner Don Carter founded the team and selected the name “Mavericks” over “Wranglers” and “Express”, the name pays tribute to the TV show “Maverick” that ran from 1957-1962.
Denver Nuggets
Founded in 1967, the club came into the ABA as the “Denver Larks”, after Colorado’s state bird. The team was sold to Bill Ringsby in 1974, who renamed them to the Rockets, after his long-haul truck business.
Ringsby sold the team in 1972 to Frank Goldberg and Bud Fischer who arranged a move to the NBA, but there was already a “Rockets” franchise in Houston. In 1974, there was a contest held to rename the franchise, and the “Nuggets” won as tribute to the team who played in Denver from 1938-1950, dedicated to the Colorado Gold Rush in 1859.
Detroit Pistons
The team was originally based out of Fort Wayne, Indiana where owners Ted and his sister Janet Zollner owned a factory where they manufactured pistons (an engine machinism) for automobiles. When Ted Zollner moved the team to Detroit, the name was very reflective of the city that was reliant to the car industry.
Golden State Warriors
Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the “Warriors” in 1946. The team was bought by Franklin Mieuli in 1962, and relocated to San Francisco, were they kept the Warriors’ name. In 1966, the team began playing games in the Oakland Coliseum Arena and changed the name fully to the Golden State Warriors in 1971, nickname for the state of California.
Houston Rockets
Founded in 1967, as the “San Diego Rockets”. The name was selected via a name-the-team contest and refers to the San Diego theme of “A City in Motion”. In 1971 the team was moved to Houston, a great location to preserve the Rockets name.
Indiana Pacers
Investors Richard Tinkham, John DeVoe, Chuck DeVoe, Chuck Barnes and Bob Collins purchased the franchise for the ABA. Collectively, they decided choosing a name which reflected the city’s famous Indianapolis 500 race, specifically the pace car that set the tone for the race. The “Pacer” was also in reference to harness racing pacers.
Los Angeles Clippers
They played as the Buffalo Braves from 1970 until 1978, when they moved to San Diego. The San Diego move called for a new nickname and the franchise chose “Clippers” referencing a ship used during the 1800s. When Donald Sterling bought the team for $12.5 million, he moved the team to North Los Angeles and preserved the Clippers name.
Los Angeles Lakers
In 1947, the “Detroit Gems”, of the National Basketball League, were bought by Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen, who were Minnesota natives. They moved the team to Minneapolis, Minnesota and named them the “Lakers” as tribute to the state’s nickname “Land of 10,000 lakes”. In 1961, the team was relocated to Los Angeles, keeping the Lakers name.
Memphis Grizzlies
In 1994, the NBA awarded Vancouver an expansion franchise, the original plan was to be named the “Mounties”, but fans and the RCMP were not in favour. The team opened a name-the-team contest and Grizzlies was the name selected, referencing the indigenous species to Vancouver. In 2002, when the team was moved to Memphis, the team was nearly re-named the “Express” by FedEx who were willing to pay $120 million.
Miami Heat
In 1986, there was a contest for fans to select a team name and it came down to Stephanie Freed’s suggestion “Heat” which beat out the “Vice”.
Milwaukee Bucks
Formed in 1968, the team held a contest for fans to name it, the “Bucks” was selected as a tribute to the tradition of hunting in Wisconsin.
Minnesota Timberwolves
In 1989, the team made its return to Minnesota, since the Lakers left for Los Angeles in 1960. They conducted a contest for fans to name the team, and the finalists were the “Polars” and “Timberwolves”. The team allowed the 842 city council workers to choose between the two, where the choice was made by almost a ratio of 2-1.
New Jersey Nets
They were founded in 1967 and based out of Teaneck, New Jersey as the “New Jersey Americans”, but one year later they moved to Long Island, New York. Owner Arthur Brown named them the New York Nets, as it rhymed with New York’s other teams, the Mets and Jets. They played as the Nets of New York until relocating back to New Jersey in 1977.
New Orleans Hornets
In 1987, Charlotte was awarded an expansion franchise and owner George Shinn proceeded to move forward with “Spirit” as the nickname for the team. Due to bad press affiliated with the name and the displeasure of Charlotte residents, Shinn gave the choice to fans via a name-the-team contest and “Hornets” was the winner, beating out “Knights”, “Cougars” and “Crowns”. The name was preserved when the team moved to New Orleans.
New York Knicks
Many people may be surprised that they are actually the New York Knickerbockers. The word knickerbocker traces back to Dutch settlers who came to New York in the 1600s, and wore pants which rolled up below their knees called knickerbockers.
Author Washington Irving made the official association with the pants and the city in his “A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty” where he used the the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker. He proclaimed that a person in New York that could trace their ancestry to Dutch settlers is to be called a “knickerbocker”. The term became huge in New York.
A Manhattan based baseball team was actually the first New York Knickerbockers in 1845. Finally in 1946, when the city was awarded a profession basketball franchise, founder Ned Irish named them the New York Knickerbockers, then shortened them to Knicks.
Oklahoma City Thunder
After spending 1967-2008 as the Seattle SuperSonics named after the SuperSonic Transport airplane, which was built in Seattle by Boeing, the team was sold to a group of Oklahoma City investors. Fans were asked to select a new nickname for the franchise, and the “Thunder” won out, over the “Twisters”, “Barons” and “Renegades”
Orlando Magic
In 1986, there was a contest for fans to pick the team name. The “Challengers”, as tribute to the space shuttle that had the tragic accident earlier in the year, was the favourite. It came down to a panel of judges who selected the name “Magic” as tribute to the biggest attraction in the city, Disney World.
Philadelphia 76ers
Originally called the Syracuse Nationals, upon moving to Philadelphia there was a competition to rename the team. Walter Stalberg, a Philly resident proposed the 76ers dedicated to 1776, which was the year the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia.
Phoenix Suns
When they were founded in 1968, owner Karl Eller employed a contest for fans to name the team. He chose Suns over “Scorpions” and “Rattlers” as the other finalists.
Portland Trail Blazers
After being awarded a franchise in 1970, there was a contest for fans to name the team. “Pioneers” was the name to be chosen, as it was the most popular, but Lewis and Clark College in Portland used that name. The next name up was Trail Blazers so the franchise moved forward with it.
Sacramento Kings
Founded as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League in 1945, they moved to Cincinnati in 1957. The team was on the move again in 1972 to Kansas City, where they were named the Kings through a name-the-team contest, due to the presence of the “Royals” in existence as the city’s MLB team. In 1985, the team was once again on the move, heading to Sacramento, where they have since been the Sacramento Kings.
San Antonio Spurs
In 1973, the ABA’s “Dallas Chaparrals” were purchased and moved to San Antonio, re-named the Gunslingers. Before the team’s first game, ownership changed the name to the Spurs. Legend has it, part owner, Red McCombs wanted to pay tribute to his hometown and fought to name them the Spurs.
Toronto Raptors
They were originally going to be named the “Huskies” as tribute to the old Toronto basketball club, which spent only one season in the NBA in 1946-47. Instead, ownership had fans compete to choose a name. On May 14, 1994, due to the popularity of the 1993 film, “Jurassic Park”, they were named the Toronto Raptors.
Utah Jazz
The team was founded in New Orleans in 1974, where the Jazz name reflected the Cajun culture, and music popular of the community. It was chosen in a contest out of other finalists such as “Dukes”, “Crescents”, “Pilots”, “Cajuns”, “Blues”, “Deltas”, and “Knights”. When the team relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1979, they kept the name.
Washington Wizards
They originated as the Chicago Packers in 1961, and changed their name to the Zephyrs in 1962. One year later they moved to Baltimore and were renamed the Baltimore Bullets. In 1973 the team relocated to Landover, Maryland and for that season they were the “Capital Bullets”, and in 1974 they were the Washington Bullets.
In 1995, owner Abe Pollin announced that the team name would be changed to disassociate the team from the overtones of violence that people associated with the name and the high rate of gun crime in the city. When Pollin’s long-time friend Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, he knew re-naming the team was the thing to do, and a contest was held for the new name.
On May 15, 1997, Wizards was selected over the “Dragons”, “Express” and “Stallions”. Still without controversy, the team faced backlash from the NAACP as the term Wizard is also a rank in the Ku Klux Klan.