Transcription
Did you know that the NBA was founded to fill the seats in hockey arenas? Or that the Miami Heat could have been called the Miami Sun Tans? Why is Philadelphia's team called the Sixers? And what is a Knickerbocker?
This is how every NBA team got their name. There are only two NBA franchises that have existed since 1946 and never changed their address or their nickname.
The first is the Boston Celtics, formed on June 6th, 1946, as one of the 11 teams in the newly established Basketball Association of America. The BAA formation only came true because of Walter Brown, the owner of the Boston Garden. Brown realized that the Garden's ice hockey arena sat empty on many nights and that it could be profitable to host basketball games. So, he called up the other arena owners, and they formed the BAA. Brown had the league, he had the arena, the only thing missing was the team name. His staff proposed many different nicknames such as Olympians, Whirlwinds, and even Unicorns, but Walter didn't like any of those names. Instead, he decided to call his team Celtics, drawing inspiration from the New York Celtics, a basketball team that dominated in the 1920s with a 90% win ratio. Even though his advisors warned him about having an Irish name, Brown was adamant, and the name stuck forever.
But the other original NBA organization that never relocated and never changed its nickname was also formed on June 6th, 1946. Like Walter Brown, who owned the Boston Garden, Ned Irish was the owner of the Madison Square Garden and he was also interested in packing his arena when there wasn't any hockey. So, just like Brown, Irish also gathered the members of his staff to cast their vote on a team name. They put all the suggestions in a hat, and the name drawn out was the Knickerbockers. The Knickerbocker was the name of the original Dutch settlers of the area that later became New York, and later Knickerbockers became the moniker of New Yorkers in general. Immediately in their inaugural season, the Knickerbockers got shortened to Nicks, even though the official long version remains to this day. And for many decades, despite some horrible seasons, the Knicks were the most valuable NBA franchise.
But since 2022, that title belongs to the Warriors, who were also one of the OG teams from 1946. The Warriors were founded in Philadelphia by Peter Tyrell, who also owned the Philadelphia Rockets of the American Hockey League. Tyrell then hired Eddie Gottlieb as coach and general manager, and since 1917, Gottlieb was Philadelphia's Mr. Basketball, a longtime promoter and team owner. Gottlieb's first team was named the Philadelphia Warriors, and after they went bankrupt in 1929, he simply decided to resurrect the name. In 1962, the franchise relocated to California but they retained the nickname, becoming the San Francisco Warriors. They used that name until 1971 when they moved to Oakland, finally becoming the Golden State Warriors.
And the Warriors' division rival shares a similar history. In 1948, the Lakers were actually founded in Minneapolis, and their name was selected because Minnesota was known as "The Land of 10,000 Lakes." The Lakers won five titles in Minneapolis, and when they relocated to Los Angeles in 1960, they decided to keep the name because of its rich championship history. But the Lakers and the Warriors are not the only California teams with the longest history. That title belongs to the Sacramento Kings, whose first iteration is over 100 years old, formed back in 1923. They were originally known as the Rochester Seagrams until in 1945, they became the Rochester Royals, playing in the NBL, a rival league of the BAA. Then in 1948, the Royals transferred to the BAA, and a year later, two leagues merged into one, forming the NBA. The Royals remained in Rochester until 1957 when they moved to Cincinnati, and in 1972, they relocated again. They played in Kansas City and Omaha, becoming the first franchise to host their games in two cities. But because Kansas already had a baseball team named the Royals, to avoid confusion, they needed a new name. The franchise stuck with a regal nickname, finally becoming the Kings, a name they would keep when they relocated to Sacramento in 1985.
And the next OG franchise is the one that dealt Shaq his biggest playoff loss. It's the Detroit Pistons, who first got their name in 1941. The team was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons. The franchise got its name from team owner Fred Zollner's piston manufacturing company, and before they joined the BAA in 1948, they won two NBL championships. Then in 1957, when the team moved to Detroit, Zollner decided to shorten the team name to just Pistons, which was a suitable match for the Motor City.
And in the inaugural NBA season, 1949, another franchise with hockey roots joined the league. It was the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, who played in Moline, Illinois, adopting the same name as the local hockey team, the Chicago Blackhawks. The nickname was chosen in honor of Indian Chief Black Hawk, who in the early 1800s occupied the land in the Chicago area. After relocating to Milwaukee in 1951, the team shortened its title to Hawks, which would stay when they moved to St. Louis in 1955 and then finally to Atlanta in 1968.
And for the final NBA senior citizen, founded in 1946, we have the Philadelphia 76ers. Back then, they were called the Syracuse Nationals, and in Syracuse, they won the 1955 NBA Championship. In 1963, one year after the Warriors moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco, new owners relocated the franchise to Philly, feeling that it was a much bigger market than Syracuse. They then organized a public contest for the name of the new franchise, settling on the 76ers, representing the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, which was signed in Philadelphia in 1776.
The eight forefathers of the NBA competed in the league for more than a decade until 1961 when the NBA introduced their first expansion team. They were called the Chicago Packers, and the nickname was a reference to Chicago's meatpacking industry. But just one year later, they renamed the franchise to Chicago Zephyrs until the next year they changed the name again. The Zephyrs relocated to Baltimore in 1963, rebranding themselves as the Bullets in tribute to the former BAA league's Baltimore Bullets. In 1973, the franchise moved to DC and became the Capital Bullets, and then finally the Washington Bullets. By the early 1990s, team owner Abe Pollin wanted to dissociate the team's name from gun violence, so after holding a renaming contest, Pollin rejected the names Sea Dogs, Dragons, Stallions, and Express before finally accepting the name Wizards.
And for all you bracket wizards out there, tournament time is finally here! So fill out your brackets and bet on who you think will rise to the top with the sponsor of this video, DraftKings Sportsbook. Right now, all new customers who bet $5 will get $150 in bonus bets instantly. That's right, new customers can bet $5 on anything and receive $150 in bonus bets instantly. But the action doesn't stop there. Use your $150 in bonus bets on DraftKings same-game parlays for a shot at an even bigger payout. Combine multiple bets together from the same game, including total points scored, number of rebounds by your favorite player, and more. And if sports betting is not yet available in your state, don't worry, you can still join in on all the fun with DraftKings Daily Fantasy and have a shot to win cash prizes. So download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now. New customers use promo code NON-STOP and bet just $5 on any wager and get $150 in bonus bets instantly. That's promo code NON-STOP only at DraftKings Sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER and always remember to gamble responsibly.
And even though their original NBA franchise collapsed and the second one relocated to Baltimore, the third time was the charm for the city of Chicago. The founder of the team, Dick Klein, was a former basketball player and general manager, but when Chicago was granted an expansion team in 1966, he couldn't think of a suitable name. He contemplated naming the franchise Matadors or Torreadors until his son said, "That's a bunch of bull," and that's how the Bulls got their name.
Just a year after the Bulls entered the NBA, another future NBA champion joined. It was the San Diego Rockets, who got their name from a public poll in San Diego, and the fans chose the name because of the space industry in their city. When the Rockets relocated to Houston in 1971, they had no reason to change the team name since the NASA Space Center is located in Houston.
And that same year, in 1967, another basketball franchise was founded in New Jersey called The Americans, but they played in the ABA. One year later, they relocated to Long Island, and because New York already housed the Jets and the Mets, the team owners cleverly decided to rename the team the Nets. In 1976, the Nets returned to New Jersey, where they would play until 2012 before Jay-Z and Mark Cuban moved the team to Brooklyn.
Next up, we have a city that most recently lost its NBA franchise and we dearly hope they get it back again. It's the Seattle SuperSonics, who got named after the supersonic transport project due to the city's ties with the aviation industry. And as you probably know, in 2008, the Sonics relocated to Oklahoma City. Yeah, we'll be in Oklahoma City next season playing their games where the fans chose the name Thunder instead of the other options such as Renegades, Twisters, and Barons.
Just like Seattle, Milwaukee lost their original franchise when the Hawks moved to St. Louis, but after 13 years without the NBA, in 1968, Milwaukee was awarded with an expansion team. Like most other newcomers, the owners organized a public poll, and the most popular entry was the name Robins. The name Skunks was in second place, but the owners didn't like those names and they overruled the public vote, deciding to call themselves the Bucks. Which was really a blessing. Just imagine if Giannis had to say, "I'm glad to be part of the Skunks."
And that same season, on the other side of the country, another city got their franchise. Also like Milwaukee, the citizens of Phoenix proposed some terrible names for their new team. Some decent options included the Scorpions, Rattlers, and Thunderbirds, but there were also horrible submissions such as Sun Lovers, White-Winged Doves, and Cactus Giants. Unable to choose a name from the public, a young 28-year-old general manager by the name of Jerry Colangelo took the decision into his own hands, naming the team the Suns.
And if there was ever a good time to form an NBA team, it was in 1970 when three new cities got an NBA franchise. Cleveland could have been known as the Jays, Towers, Presidents, and Foresters before they ultimately decided to call themselves the Cavaliers because they felt the Cavalier name represented the fighting spirit of the Ohio natives. Then there was Portland, where the general public leaned towards the name Pioneers, but since there was already a college team in Oregon named the Pioneers, the ownership chose the name that came second in the polls, the Trail Blazers.
Then we have the Clippers, who were first founded as the Buffalo Braves in 1976. The Braves had three future MVPs on the roster, but due to money problems, they were forced to trade them all and then sell the team to San Diego, where the franchise was renamed to the Clippers after the type of 19th-century ship that was commonly used in the San Diego Bay. But just like the first time, it wouldn't take long before the city of San Diego lost their NBA team. The Rockets relocated from San Diego after 4 years, and the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in six after new owner Donald Sterling bought the team in 1981, promising that he'd never move the team. "I'm comfortable here and I'm happy here and I just want to stay here in San Diego." It took him just 3 years to break that promise, establishing very early that he would become arguably the worst owner in NBA history.
By the 1974-75 NBA season, the league had 18 teams, with the newest addition being New Orleans. Some options for the team name included the Crescent Pilots, Deltas, Coon, and Dukes, but ultimately, they chose the most suitable name for their city, Jazz, since the music genre was invented in New Orleans. However, just after the Jazz posted the worst record in the league during the 1979 season, the ownership decided to relocate the team to Salt Lake City, where they never bothered to create a new identity for their team.
And arguably one of the most important years in NBA history was 1976 because the NBA league merged with the ABA and agreed to accept four of the remaining six ABA teams: the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and San Antonio Spurs. The Nuggets were originally called the Rockets, but since Houston had the same name, the newcomers were forced to make the change. After a naming contest, the team settled on Nuggets as a reference to the Colorado Gold Rush in the 1850s. The Pacers got their name after pace cars from the Indy 500, and also because Pacer was a type of harness and horse racing, another big part of Indiana's rich racing history. And then there were the Spurs, who were just a three-year-old franchise, originally founded as the Dallas Chaparrals, and then in 1973, relocated to San Antonio. Like most of the other teams, the ownership organized public voting for the name, and they almost named themselves Aztecs before they ultimately opted for the Spurs, a very suitable name for a team in Texas.
Then, for years later, the Lone Star State got its third NBA franchise after the Rockets and the Spurs. The Dallas Mavericks joined the league, and they got their name after a local radio contest. The name Mavericks won with 41 votes in front of other options such as Wranglers and Express.
By 1988, the NBA had 24 franchises, and then in the next two seasons, another expansion gave birth to four more teams. Miami organized a public poll for their name that yielded many unusual suggestions. The choices included the Floridians, the Sharks, Miami Beaches, the Barracudas, and the Tornadoes. One entry included the name Miami Sun Tans, which would have been hilarious, but they ultimately opted to be the Miami Heat.
A year later, the neighboring city of Orlando also got a franchise, and they also had the choice to become the Floridians, but they opted for the name Magic because of their biggest tourist attraction, Disney World. Other options included Aquaman, Juice, and Astronauts, likely due to the vicinity of Cape Canaveral, which is 50 miles east of Orlando.
And in the much colder part of the country, another franchise was born. And just like their Florida colleagues, the owners in Minnesota organized a public contest where the most popular entry was the Blizzard. However, the ownership didn't like the Blizzard or the Polers, and they ultimately got known as the Timberwolves because Minnesota was one of the only areas in the US with free-roaming packs of Timberwolves.
Dangerous animals also happened to be the choice for the name of the next two expansion franchises. In 1995, the National Basketball Association decided to become "bational" and expand its business to Canada. Vancouver and Toronto joined the league, and Vancouver was first supposed to be the Mounties. However, after protests from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which were colloquially called the Mounties, the ownership opted to name their team after a local bear, the Grizzly. Six years later, when the franchise relocated to Memphis, they decided to keep the name.
And the story of the Toronto Raptors is surreal because it's not like anybody has seen a dinosaur in the past 65 million years, but everybody has seen Jurassic Park, which was an extremely popular movie in 1995. So they simply decided on the name Raptors, which was favored over the other two options, Dragons and Bobcats.
Interestingly enough, the Bobcats and the Dragons were also the two favorites for the NBA franchise in Charlotte in 1988. Charlotte originally became the Hornets, and everybody fell in love with their team colors. But in 2002, after the Hornets relocated to New Orleans, Charlotte got another franchise in 2004, and this time everybody hated their colors. They chose the name Bobcats instead of Dragons, and some people believe that the owner, Bob Johnson, actually named the team after himself. However, after the Bobcats became the worst team in NBA history and the name Hornets became available again, Charlotte returned to their old name and colors, which was greatly appreciated by their fans.
Then, finally, we have the New Orleans Pelicans as the newest NBA team name. As we mentioned, New Orleans became the Jazz in the 1970s and then the Hornets in 2002, but after Tom Benson purchased the team in 2012, he wanted a new team name and identity, ultimately deciding to call his franchise the Pelicans, the Louisiana state bird.
If you want to find out more interesting NBA facts, subscribe and keep watching Non-Stop.