Raptors, which Jurassic Park helped popularize the year before, was eventually chosen over runners-up Bobcats and Dragons. Nuggets refers to the 19th century mining boom in Colorado, when people rushed to the area, hoping to make their fortunes by panning for gold and silver nuggets. 18. The one-syllable directness of the Bulls was also in line with Chicago’s other team nicknames—Bears, (White) Sox, Cubs, and (Black) Hawks. Microsoft Excel XLS List of NBA Team Names Alphabetically. Wizards: In 1946, the Baltimore franchise was nicknamed Bullets after a nearby ammunition foundry. The name depicts energy and an omnipresent power, and brings to light what is hoped to be the wise and magical nature of the team. The team started playing in 1961 as the Chicago Packers, which was the first modern expansion team in NBA history. Orlando Juice. The team moved to St. Louis in 1955, and finally to Atlanta in 1968. The nickname is a reference to Indiana's rich harness and auto racing history. When the original investors agreed to start a team, they were dining in a posh club called the Chaparral Club. After spending some time together checking out Orlando’s attractions, Pat took Karen to the airport for her flight home. 8. 14. The club joined the NBA in 1949, and in 1951, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee, where the nickname was shortened to Hawks. In fact, “New Orleans Pelicans” is one of the oldest names in professional sports, dating all the way to at least the Civil War era. Expansion Draft ist ein Begriff aus dem US-amerikanischen Sport und bezeichnet das Verfahren der Ligaaufstockung. One of our readers asked us the other day, how the NBA teams got their names, so we went researched a bit and we found some interesting history behind teams’ names. AskUs: What was the average opinion during Trail of Tears? They rendered their decision and only one task was left: to determine the winner of the contest. " Perhaps Kerr was right. Selinda King won season tickets for one year and $1,000 cash after being selected the lucky winner of the contest. “There had to be 10,000 entries at least,” he remembers. The ownership group of Toronto's prospective expansion team conducted extensive marketing research across Canada in 1994 and held a nationwide vote that helped team officials come up with a list of potential nicknames. The name had been used for Charlotte sports teams before, including a minor league baseball team that was located in the city from 1901 to 1972, as well as a World Football League team that played there from 1974 to 1975. Rockets was picked because it reflected the outstanding growth of space-age industries in San Diego. It may have just been a coincidence that one of the team's main investors, Red McCombs, was born in Spur, Texas. If they can do that, the team can do the same.” The brown pelican is Louisiana’s state bird and has become identified with efforts to restore Louisiana’s coast, which has been damaged extensively by the 2010 BP oil spill and erosion from Katrina and other storms. Mavs: A Dallas radio station sponsored a name-the-team contest and recommended the finalists to team owner Donald Carter, who ultimately chose Mavericks over Wranglers and Express. More than 9000 ballots were cast and Hornets won by a landslide, beating out Knights, Cougars, Spirit, Crowns, and Stars. Various nicknames were batted around, including Whirlwinds, Olympians and Unicorns. In 1948, the cities of Moline and Rock Island, IL, and Davenport, IA—collectively known as the Tri-Cities at the time—were awarded a team in the National Basketball League. Images of the pelicans covered with oil were plentiful after the oil spill. The name game became one of the most popular in league history, generating more than 2,000 different entries. As the undisputed “jazz capital of the world”, the city embraced the new name. The NBA's G League has already added the Capitanes, the 29th team in the league that will play next season at the Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera in Mexico City. The 41 fans who suggested Mavericks each won a pair of tickets to the season opener and one of those fans, Carla Springer, won a drawing for season tickets. Philadelphia 76ers. nba_teams. The NBA originated in 1946 with 11 teams, and through a sequence of team expansions, reductions and relocations currently consists of 30 teams. The name was fitting for the Motor City. Seattle Supersonics (duh) Louisville (or would they use Kentucky?) And more importantly, will have expand to 48 total teams across 13 countries. "The grand gamble of the pro leagues", now the idea of pro team sports in sin city is a debate in its own. The Boston Celtics and New York Knickerbockers are two NBA teams that started and still play in the same NBA city and have the same team name. Within the league office, sources said officials have floated the price tag of $2.5 billion each for two expansion teams in the near future. A Dallas radio station sponsored a name-the-team contest and recommended the finalists to team owner Donald Carter, who ultimately chose Mavericks over Wranglers and Express. They settled on Clippers, a popular type of ship during the 19th century. San Diego had been home to the Conquistadors/Sails of the ABA during the 1970s. The current league organization divides 30 teams into two conferences of three divisions with five teams each. Springer, a freelance writer, said the nickname "represents the independent, flamboyant style of the Dallas people. 6 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rockets was chosen via a name-the-team contest and was a reference to the city's theme, "A City In Motion. When Vancouver was awarded an expansion franchise in 1994 to begin play the following season, the team's owners had tentative plans to name the team the Mounties. The Royal Mounted Canadian Police and fans alike objected, so team officials resumed their search for a name. Dies geschieht entweder durch die Eröffnung neuer Franchises oder durch die Aufnahme von Mannschaften aus anderen Ligen.Eine Möglichkeit, die neuen Mannschaften mit Spielern zu füllen ist der Expansion Draft.Die neuen Teams werden auch Expansion Teams … Magic: So a contest was held with the Orlando Sentinel for fans to submit their picks for the name of the future team. Cavs: In 1970, Cleveland’s newspaper, The Plain Dealer, held a contest to name the city’s new basketball club. When asked to name the new club, SuperSonics won by a landslide. According to the Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia, team owner Richard Klein was brainstorming nicknames for his new franchise in 1966 and wanted a name that portrayed Chicago's status as the meat capital of the world. Though the team disbanded, the Chicago Packers — who later became the Chicago Zephyrs — relocated to Baltimore, and in 1963, the Bullets nickname returned. The most popular entry in the contest was Blizzard, but the team wanted a nickname that was more unique to its home state. On Monday, we delved into what it would take for the NBA to consider expanding the league from 30 teams to 32.There’s been no indication from the league itself that expansion is … After reconsidering their first decision to call the team the Aztecs (several teams already used that name), the judges (investors and local press representatives) settled on Spurs. Thunder was chosen over Renegades, Twisters, and Barons, and the name was extremely well received. The team became the San Francisco Warriors after they relocated to the West Coast in 1962, and changed its name to the Golden State Warriors—symbolizing a team belonging to all of California, the Golden State — upon settling into a new home in Oakland in 1971. Jerry Tomko, who suggested Cavaliers in the contest, wrote, "Cavaliers represent a group of daring fearless men, whose life pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds. Fans throughout and beyond Minnesota submitted 6,076 entries featuring 1,284 different nicknames. Knicks: The term “Knickerbockers” traces its origin back to the Dutch settlers who came to the New World — and especially to what is now New York — in the 1600s. Upon moving to Kansas City, changed name to similar “Kings” to avoid confusion with Royals of baseball. How many natural lakes are there in Los Angeles? Bucks: This team’s nickname was selected from more than 14,000 contest entries, and the winner was R.D. San Diego (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) In October 1986, the owners of Miami's expansion franchise selected Stephanie Freed's Heat submission from more than 20,000 entries, which also included Sharks, Tornadoes, Beaches, and Barracudas. If the NBA expands and adds 2 teams, what might the names of the teams be? Raptors : Now that Toronto was awarded a franchise, a nationwide “Name Game” contest to name the team would follow as the franchise felt that turning to the fans to help develop an identity was the ideal course to take. 17. Clippers: In 1978, San Diego welcomed the relocation of the Buffalo Braves’ franchise because the city had lost their Rockets to Houston seven years earlier. WELCOME TO THE XBA! 21. In 1970, they became a regional franchise called the Texas Chaparrals, then they relocated to San Antonio in 1973. The three finalists in the name-the-team contest for Charlotte's 2004 expansion franchise were Bobcats, Dragons, and Flight. Bobcats, indigenous to the Carolinas but infrequently seen because of their stealth and nocturnal habits, are fierce and swift. Trailblazers: Just two weeks after Portland was granted an NBA expansion franchise on Feb. 24, 1970, Harry Glickman, then executive vice president of the club, announced a public “name the team” contest. On May 15, the team’s new moniker, the Toronto Raptors, was unveiled on national television. via thehockeywriters.com. Another popular entry was Trail Blazers, whose logo is supposed to represent five players on one team playing against five players from another team. Among more than 5,000 entries submitted were Sharks, Barracudas, Flamingos, Palm Trees, Beaches, Heat, Suntan, Shade, Tornadoes and Floridians. Mexico City. The other finalists included Jays, Foresters, Towers, and Presidents. But Brown wanted Celtics, explaining, “The name has a great basketball tradition from the old Original Celtics in New York (1914-1939). 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