The origins of the names of NBA teams

Atlantic Division

Celtics - The Celtics were founded in the summer of 1946 under the then owner Walter Brown. The origin of the team's name came from discussions between Brown and team staff member McHugh. Initial name proposals included Whirlwinds, Unicorns and Olympics. But in the end it was Brown who came up with, proposed and finalized the name Celtics. Because the population of Boston at that time was almost all Irish, Celtics commemorated the first batch of Irish immigrants to the North American continent who landed in Boston.

Knicks - Knicks is the abbreviation of Knickerbockers. The Knicks were founded in 1946 and were owned by Ned Irish. The team's name came about in an office discussion between Irish and several staff members including Knicks executive Fred Podesta. At that time, they each wrote down their favorite names and put them in the hat. In the final count, they found that the vast majority of people suggested the name Knickerbockers, and the decision was made. Knickerbockers refer to a type of bloomers that were worn by Dutch immigrants at that time, with legs just above the knees. Therefore, the choice of Knickerbockers is also to commemorate the Dutch who were the first to come to the New World in New York in the 17th century. Throughout New York's history, the image of these Dutch immigrant Knickerbockers has been a symbol of New York. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the icon of New York City was the "Father Knickerbockers", whose typical attire included cotton wigs, three-cornered hats, buckled shoes and Knickerbockers! Their image can be seen in the movie "Gangs of New York". But what’s interesting is that the first basketball team called the New York Knickerbockers was not the current basketball team, but a baseball team in 1845.

Nets - The New Jersey Nets were founded in 1967 as the New Jersey Americans. At that time, the team still belonged to another league, the ABA (American Basketball Association). It was one of the first 11 teams when the ABA was established. The owner at the time was Arthur Brown, and the team moved to 6 different venues in New York City. In 1968, New Jersey Americans finally settled in New York City and changed their name to New York Nets. The reason for choosing the Nets team is very funny. It originated from the suggestion of a reporter at the time that Brown believed that the pronunciation of Nets was related to the pronunciation of the New York Mets baseball team and the New York Jets football team Jets, so he changed Americans to Nets. With the NBA's annexation of the ABA in 1976, the New York Nets joined the NBA. Since the NBA already had a symbol like the New York Knicks at that time, it was difficult for the Nets to compete commercially with the Knicks in the same city, so they chose to move to New Jersey, 40 miles away from New York City and across a river, and changed their name to New Jersey Nets. New Jersey Nets.

76ers - The Philadelphia 76ers were founded in 1949 and were originally called the Syracuse Nationals. This year the Nationals and five other Midwestern teams joined the NBA, bringing the league to 17 teams. In 1963, the Nationals were bought by two Philadelphians, Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman, and transferred to Philadelphia in the same year. On August 6, 1963, the Nationals officially changed their name to the 76ers. The name commemorates the signing of the American Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776, similar to the 49ers in the NFL, commemorating the era of the discovery of gold mines in San Francisco.

Wizards - The Washington Wizards were founded in 1961 as the Chicago Packers. In 1962, the name was changed to Zephyrs. In 1963, the team moved to Baltimore and was renamed the Baltimore Bullets. In 1974, the Baltimore Bullets moved to Washington and were renamed the Washington Bullets. Due to later accusations that bullets had violent tendencies, team owner Abe Pollin decided to change the name on May 15, 1997 in order to cooperate with the team's anti-violence activities. After fan voting, the name Wizard won out of the final three choices.

Magic - Due to the NBA expansion in 1989, many teams including the Orlando Magic were established. Disney City in the United States is the biggest feature of Orlando, Florida, and Magic represents Orlando’s dreamy Disney. Another major feature is Back Street, which is also the origin of the name of the Backstreet Boys from Orlando.

Heat - The Miami Heat was established in 1988, one year earlier than the Orlando Magic in the same state, but it also caught up with the NBA expansion trend in 1988 and 1989.

The new team formed at that time also included the Minnesota Timberwolves (1989) and the Charlotte Hornets (88). I chose Heat because Miami, another big city in Florida, is connected to the Caribbean Sea. It’s like summer all year round and the heat wave is intense!

Central Division

The Atlanta Hawks - The roots of the Atlanta Hawks originate from the Tri-Cities of the Mississippi River (Moline, Rock Island, Illinois and Iowa) City of Davenport). Originally named Tri-City Blackhawks, it was one of the earliest members of the NBA when it was founded, in order to commemorate Blackhawk, an outstanding Indian tribal chief in American history. After a brief two-year run in the Tri-Cities, the Blackhawks moved to Milwaukee and shortened their name to the Hawks. In 1955, the team moved to St. Louis and was renamed the St. Louis Eagles. After a successful spell in St. Louis, in 1968 during an Atlanta Braves game in Atlanta, the announcer finally announced that the Eagles would take root in the city.

Bulls - The Chicago Bulls joined the NBA in 1966, but they were not the first NBA team in Chicago history. The name Bull probably refers to the fact that Chicago was once the largest trading place for cattle in the east and west of the United States. Every year, cowboys from the west would bring large numbers of cattle all the way to Chicago to be sold to merchants in the east.

Pistons - The Detroit Pistons originated in Fort Wayne and were established in 1941 by local automotive piston magnate Fred Zollner. The original name was Fort Wayne Zollner Piston, which was probably an advertisement for the owner himself. When the team was founded, they joined the then NBL (National Basketball League). In 1948, the Pistons jumped to the league's competitor, the BAA (Basketball Association of America). In 1949, the NBL and BAA merged to form the NBA, and the Pistons became a member of the NBA Central Division. In 1957, the Pistons moved to Detroit and were renamed the Detroit Pistons. Detroit happened to be the automobile city in the United States.

The Pacers were founded in 1967 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and joined the ABL. In 1976, the Pacers joined the NBA along with three other ABL teams. Pacers should be more appropriately translated as walking horse or pace team, because according to Indianapolis attorney Tinkham, the name Pacers was decided upon by several investors when the team was founded, including Tinkham and Chucks Barnes. A horse racing fan. According to Tinkham, the name Pacers is a combination of the racing history of Indiana's lucrative Harness Racing Pacers and the racing history of the Indianapolis 500. According to Tinkham, when the name was discussed, the Pacers decided on it instantly and it was not a point of debate. There was a debate about whether it should be called the Indianapolis Pacers or the Indiana Pacers, but it was ultimately decided to be the Indiana Pacers.

Hornets - The New Orleans Hornets are a product of the NBA expansion in 1988. They were established in Charlotte in 1988 and were originally named the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets were named because of the Hornets' important role in Charlotte's sports history: a low-level baseball team in Charlotte's history and the World Football League were named after the Hornets. The WNBA team Charlotte Stings also adopted a similar team name, Stings, which also refers to the Hornets' tail sting. In 2002, the Hornets moved to New Orleans and were renamed the New Orleans Hornets.

Bucks - After losing Milwaukee's first team, the Milwaukee Hawks, in 1968, the city of Milwaukee finally established an NBA team of their own - the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee has historically been home to many reindeer haunts. According to the 1969-70 Milwaukee Bucks yearbook, Trebilcox from Whitefish, Wisconsin, was one of 45 people who suggested the name Bucks. Mr. Trebilcox's explanation for choosing Bucks is that Bucks are brave, agile, fast and good at jumping animals. This name can help Milwaukee enter the field of professional sports very well. Milwaukee also produces wine, which is the origin of the North American professional baseball team the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cleveland Cavaliers were founded in 1970 and joined the NBA. They, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Warriors, were all products of the NBA's expansion that year.

Raptors - Raptors should be correctly translated as Velociraptor, not Raptor.

Because raptors refer to the fastest velociraptors among dinosaurs, which are the small dinosaurs that made the Tyrannosaurus at the end of "Jurassic Park". The Raptors were founded in 1995, and both the Grizzlies and the NBA were products of the NBA's expansion into Canada. In 1994, the then Canadian PBF (Professional Basketball Franchise Inc.) launched a national competition called the "Name Game" to name the new team, team logo and colors. The final list of the top 10 was mostly named after animals, including: Beavers, Bobcats, Dragons, Grizzlies, Hogs (Toronto is nicknamed Hogtown), Raptors, Scorpions, T- Rex cats, Tarantulas, and Terriers. Finally, on May 15, 1994, PBF made the decision to select the Raptors team. The reason is that the popular movie "Jurassic Park" and dinosaur craze were both trends among young people at that time. PBF chose Raptors as the team's nickname precisely to target young fans as the team's commercial market development target.

Central and Western District

Dallas Mavericks (Hong Kong translation of the Dallas Mavericks) was founded in 1980. In March 1980 local radio station WBAP launched a contest called "Name the Team". A five-person committee received more than 4,600 suggestions and eventually narrowed the field to three candidates: Mavericks, Wranglers and Express. express delivery. The last dish served was Mavericks. Mavericks should be interpreted as the calves (horses) that were not branded in the old west or the calves (horses) that left the team and became lost. Dallas is a city in Texas in the western United States. It was named Mavericks to commemorate the life of the local western cowboys. Similar to the local NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.

Spurs - The San Antonio Spurs were established in Dallas in 1967 and belong to the ABA league, called the Dallas Chaparrals. In 1970, the team was renamed Texas Chaparrals, still in Dallas. In 1973, a group of San Antonio businessmen bought the Dallas Jungle team and moved the team to San Antonio and renamed it the San Antonio Spurs. In 1976, the Spurs joined the NBA along with three other ABA teams: the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers. San Antonio is also a Texas city. Spurs are the iron spurs on the heels of cowboys' leather boots. They are used to drive horses and commemorate the local cowboys.

Rockets - Another Texas team, the Houston Rockets, originated in San Diego. They were established in San Diego in 1967 and joined the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics and were named San Diego Rockets. Due to not being very successful in San Diego, the Rockets moved to Houston in 1971 and changed their name to the Houston Rockets. The U.S. Space Agency is based in Houston.

Golden Nuggets - The current Denver Nuggets are not the Denver Nuggets who played for one year in the 1949-50 season when the NBA was founded. The current Denver Nuggets were established in 1967 and joined the ABL, named Denver Rockets (the NBA team San Diego Rockets was also established in the same year). Seven years later, the team was renamed Denver Nuggets to commemorate the Colorado Gold Rush in the 19th century (the plateau city of Denver is located in Colorado), when people poured into the area hoping to make a fortune through gold mining. In 1976, the Denver Nuggets joined the NBA.

Timberwolves - Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves were founded in 1989 and were one of the two NBA expansion teams that year (the other was the Miami Heat). Timberwolves were selected through a "Name the Team" competition, and were selected from 6,076 suggestions (17 of the submitted suggestions were Timberwolves). The final reason for choosing timber wolves: Minnesota is home to a large number of timber wolves and is a place where wolves roam. Due to the enactment of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which banned public hunting of wolves since 1974, the number of timber wolves in Minnesota began to increase steadily. In addition, Minnesota is also the headquarters of the International Wolf Center.

Jazz - Utah Jazz was established in New Orleans in 1974, originally known as New Orleans Jazz. The name Jazz commemorates New Orleans as the birthplace of American jazz music. Similar to the WNBA team Cleveland Rock, it commemorates Cleveland as the birthplace of American rock music.

In 1978, the team moved from New Orleans to Salt Lake City, Utah, and was renamed Utah Jazz.

Grizzlies - The Grizzlies were formerly known as the Vancouver Grizzlies. They were established in Vancouver, Canada in 1995. Like the Toronto Raptors, they were a product of the NBA's expansion into Canada that year. It was also through the Name Game that the name Grizzlies was finally determined, because the local forest is full of forests and has historically been a place where grizzly bears roamed. Similar to the Timberwolves' determination.

Pacific District

Lakers - The Lakers were founded in Minneapolis in 1947 as the Minneapolis Lakers, one of the predecessors of the NBA. 1NBL. Minneapolis is a famous lake district in the United States, with hundreds of large and small lakes. In 1948, the Lakers and three other teams including the Pistons jumped to the BAA. But with the merger of the NBL and BAA into the NBA in 1949, the Lakers also became a member of the NBA. Due to a decline in audiences due to Mikan's retirement and the huge commercial success of the Dodgers baseball team, which moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, the Lakers moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960 and changed their name to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Clippers - Another team in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Clippers did not originate in Los Angeles. The Clippers were founded in Buffalo in 1970 and were called Buffalo Bravers at the time. Team. In addition to the Buffalo Warriors, the NBA expansion team in 1970 also includes the current Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Due to the turmoil in the team's management, the Warriors hit rock bottom in 1976 and 1977. Following the advice of NBA lawyer David Stern (now president), the Warriors moved from Buffalo to San Diego in 1978, and the team also changed ownership to a California businessman, Irv Levin. New owner Levin immediately changed the team's name to the San Diego Clippers. Because San Diego at that time was famous for its bustling ports and seaside places, when thinking of a name, boss Levin happened to see a speedboat sailing into the harbor and decided on the name Clippers. Although they took over in San Diego and the team's performance improved, they still failed to enter the playoffs. Eventually the team changed ownership again, and in 1981 it was acquired by Donald T. Sterling, a lawyer and real estate tycoon from Beverly Hill, Los Angeles. Because the box office was still weak, the San Diego Clippers eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and were renamed the Los Angeles Clippers.

Kings - Another California team, the Sacramento Kings, was founded in 1948. The team was established in Rochester as the Rochester Royals. In the same year, the Royals, along with the Lakers and Pistons, jumped from the NBL to the BAA, but a year later in 1949, the NBL and BAA merged to form the NBA, and the Royals also became a member of the early days of the NBA. In 1957, the team moved to Cincinnati and was renamed Cincinnati Royals. Although the team's record was good, the team's drastic changes off the field led to the team being purchased by 10 Kansas businessmen in 1972. The team also moved to Kansas in 1972 and was renamed the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. The Kings later shortened their name to the Kansas City Kings. In 1983, the Kings were acquired by a consortium from Sacramento for $10.5 million. On May 16, 1985, the NBA Board of Directors voted unanimously to allow the Kings to move to Sacramento, the capital of California. Therefore, the Kings were renamed the Sacramento Kings. Kings.

The Portland Trail Blazers, like the Clippers and Cavaliers, were founded in 1970 as an NBA expansion effort. The pioneers were renamed to commemorate the people who historically pioneered the wilderness from the eastern United States to the wild West.

Suns - The Phoenix Suns of Arizona were founded in 1968. On April 25 of the same year, the club announced the name suggestions from 28,000 submitted in the "Name-the-team" contest. Finally, the team name Suns was chosen. The sun symbolizes one of the three major features of Phoenix: bright sunshine, hot desert and beautiful golf courses.

SuperSonics - The Seattle SuperSonics were founded in 1967 and the team's name was determined through a contest of public suggestions. ***More than 25,000 suggestions received, of which more than 200 were submitted for "SuperSonic".

The reason is that Seattle is the headquarters of Boeing Company in the United States. In the 1960s, Boeing announced their plan to develop the Concorde jet as a supersonic transport vehicle. Although plans to develop a new concept of supersonic passenger aircraft did not materialize, supersonic speed left a deep impression on the public mind.

Warriors - The Golden State Warriors were founded in Philadelphia in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors. They were a member of the BAA at the time. Later, with the merger of the BAA and the NBL, they became the NBA. Became one of the early members of the NBA. In 1962, the team moved to San Francisco and was renamed San Francisco Warriors. Due to low attendance in San Francisco, the team moved across the bay to Oakland in 1971 and changed its name to the Golden State Warriors in order to attract more spectators.