In 1948, the then-called "Tri-Cities" of Moline, Illinois, Rock Island, and Davenport, Iowa, were authorized by the National Basketball League (NBL) to form a team. The National Basketball League (NBL) approved the formation of a team. The team's name, Black Hawk, sounds like the name of the Chicago field hockey team, but is actually taken from Black Hawk, the chief of the Sauk tribe of Indians.

In 1951, the team moved to Milwaukee and dropped the "Black" from its name, leaving only "Hawk". The team later moved to St. Louis and finally settled in Atlanta in 1968, but the name "Hawks" remained the same.

2. Boston Celtics

In 1946, Walter Brown, the owner of a Boston-area team, personally chose "Celtics" as the name for his team, which was affiliated with the National Basketball Association (BAA). Celtics" for his team, which belonged to the BAA. Other alternatives at the time were Whirlwinds, Olympians and Unicorns - you read that right, Unicorns. Though the team's marketing staff reminded him that "no team in Boston with an Irish name has ever won his X," Brown himself loved the winning tradition of the name - in the 1920s, New York's "Celtics" were the most popular team in the world. "New York Celtics" had been a successful professional team.

3. Charlotte Bobcats

In 2004, the Charlotte-based NBA newcomers held a name contest, and the three finalists were Bobcats, Dragons and Flight. Then-owner Bob Johnson admitted to liking the winning team name, Bobcats - if his name had been Dragon, he probably wouldn't have been able to say "Bobcats! If his name had been "Dragon," he might not have been so happy. But some of the league's players aren't thrilled with the name. Steve Kerr said. I thought it sounded like a women's softball team," says Cole. I think it may have been because there were no good names to choose from afterward, so the runt of the litter chose the team name." Bobcats CEO Ed Tapscott argued, "I think feline athleticism fits the NBA philosophy. The bobcat is a native species to western North Carolina. Its name hasn't been used in professional sports. Plus, I think the name could be a topic of conversation on the street." Charlotte has also considered using "Cougars" as a team name - a name used by a North Carolina team affiliated with the American Basketball Association (ABA) in the 1970s.

(Note: The Bobcats' current majority owner is Jordan. Steve. Kerr, a three-point shooter on the Bulls' second three-peat, went to the Spurs late in his career and retired as the Suns' general manager. Currently an NBA commentator for TNT and quite popular - which is predictable. He's arguably just shy of head coaching experience. Some NBA team should hire him as a head coach in the future. Plus he's Jewish.)

4. Chicago Bulls

According to the Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia, team owner Richard Klein convened a brainstorming session in 1966 to discuss a team name for the new army. He wanted to pick a name that would depict the fact that Chicago was the meat capital of the world.Klein was considering names such as Matadors and Toreadors, when suddenly, his young son exclaimed, "Dad, that's a bunch of bulls! " The rest of this naming story is more or less dubious .......

5. Cleveland Cavaliers

In 1970, in a survey conducted by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, fans voted "Cavaliers" as the team name. " as the team name. The finalists included the Jays, Foresters, Towers and Presidents. "Presidents is probably a reminder that seven former U.S. presidents were born in Ohio - second only to Virginia. Jerry Tomko, who suggested "Knights" as a team name in the contest, wrote: "The Knights represent a group of courageous and fearless men who live by the creed 'No matter what, never surrender.' " Incidentally, Jerry Tomko's son, Brett, has been a pitcher in Major League Baseball since 1997.

6. Dallas Mavericks

A radio station in Dallas held a contest to name the team and recommended the finalists to owner Donald Carter, who ended up naming the Cowboys, Express and Mavericks. ), and Mavericks, and he chose Mavericks. As a result, each of the 41 fans who proposed "Mavericks" as a team name received two tickets to the first game of the season. One of those fans, Carla Springer, a freelance writer who says the name "Mavericks" represents "the independent, self-confident style of Dallas people." For the team's current owner, Mark Cuban, the name "Mavericks" represents "Dallas' independent, confident style. For current owner Mark Cuban, that style is a natural fit.

(Note: Mark Cuban made his fortune at the turn of the century. Mark Cuban made his fortune in the Internet tech wave at the turn of the century. He's very much a character, and he's consistently bursting with confidence no matter what the team's situation. He's hardly the most famous character on the Mavericks, not being Nowitzki. I think he's a more-than-typical American, and in a way he's representative of the modern American western dream. Also, Dallas, while not quite as good as Boston, is one of the tech heavyweights of America.)

7. Denver Nuggets

Denver has an ABA team that started out as the Rockets, and when the team was ready to commit to the NBA in 1974, they needed a new name. But since the NBA team in Houston already had "Rockets" as its name, it was "Nuggets". So "Nuggets," a name that symbolizes the mining heritage of the city of Denver and the Colorado Gold Rush of the late 1850s, was selected through a contest to become the team's new name.

8. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons' history dates back to Fort Wayne, Indiana, when it was known as the Zollner Pistons. What are the Zollner Pistons? What are the Zollner Pistons? It is a type of piston produced by then-owner Fred Zollner, who named the team after his business. 1957 saw the team move to Detroit, where Fred Zollner dropped his name from the team's name, but kept the word "Pistons". Pistons". Considering that Detroit, where the team is based, is nicknamed "Motor City," "Pistons" is a fitting name for the team.

9. Golden State Warriors

The Basketball Association of America (BAA) played its first season in history in 1946-47. It was during this season that the Philadelphia Warriors won the championship, and during the 1961-62 season, the Warriors moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco, where the name remained the same. 1971 saw the Warriors move across the Bay to Oakland, where the name became the Golden State Warriors. ".

10. Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are originally from San Diego, California, and their name "Rockets" came from a contest - a name that also reflects the city of San Diego. The team name "Rocket" was derived from a contest - a name that sort of reflects San Diego's urban themed style of "A City In Motion". The liquid-fueled Atlas rockets were indeed built in San Diego, and in 1971, the team moved to Houston, where the name "Rockets" was retained for the sake of greater authenticity - Houston is home to NASA's Space Center. Houston is home to NASA's Space Center.

(Note: Atlas rockets are the Hercules series of rockets in the U.S. NASA's space center in Houston is the Johnson Space Center - or JSC for short.)

11. Indiana Pacers

According to Michael Leo Donovan's book on team names, Yankees to Fighting Irish: What's Behind Your Favorite Team's Name. The name "Pacers" was decided upon in 1967 by the team's initial investors, including attorney Richard Tinkham. The name also reflects Indiana's colorful history of wagon races and auto racing. "Pacing" describes one of the main steps in horse-drawn carriage races, while a pace car is used in car races like the Indianapolis 500.

(Translation: For a detailed explanation of harness racing, or horse-drawn car racing, search the wiki or Answers.)

12. L.A. Clippers

When the NBA affiliate Buffalo Braves moved to San Diego in 1978, the owners wanted to give the team a new name. They decided on "Clippers" - a type of boat popularized in the 19th century. In the 1970s, San Diego was home to the ABA's Conquistadors and Sails. During the 1981-82 season, Donald Sterling purchased the team and moved it to Los Angeles in 1984. The team's name.

13. Los Angeles Lakers

How many natural lakes are there in Los Angeles? The answer is short: no more than 10,000.Before the 1947 season, two investors relocated the Detroit Gems, an affiliate of the National Basketball League (NBL), to Minneapolis. They wanted to give the team a new name to fit its new home location. Considering that Minnesota was known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," they decided on the name "Lakers. The team moved to Los Angeles before the 1960 season, but kept the name - in part to maintain the tradition that had been established when the team was in Minnesota.

14.Memphis Grizzlies

In 1994, Vancouver was allowed to form a team and play in the season. The owners had already intended to call the team the Mounties, but the Royal Mounted Canadian Police and the fans objected to the name. The team's management was forced to continue the search for a name. The local Vancouver newspaper sponsored a name contest, which was overseen by club officials. The name Grizzlies, a cross between Grizzlies and Ravens, was chosen, and the team moved to Memphis prior to the 2002-03 season. FedEx was going to rename the team the Express for a $120 million annual sponsorship, but the NBA turned it down.

15. Miami Heat

In October 1986, the owners of the new Miami-based team chose "Heat," submitted by Stephanie Freed, out of more than 20,000 names submitted in a contest. Other finalists were Sharks, Tornadoes, Beaches and Barracudas.

16. Milwaukee Bucks

Considering Wisconsin's hunting heritage, it's not surprising that "Bucks" came out on top of the 1968 team's name contest. In terms of naming the team after an animal of some sort, the fan base's choices could have been even worse -- skunks were among the names to be chosen.

17. Minnesota Timberwolves

In 1986, the parent company of Minnesota's newest team chose "Timberwolves" in a name contest. Of Minnesota's 842 city councils, 333 participated in the final vote. The Timberwolves beat the Polars 2-1. Fan Tim Pope was the first to nominate the Timberwolves as a team name. He won a trip to the NBA All-Star Stuffing. In fact, Pope submitted 10 team names - including Gun Flints. He told a reporter that "I thought a name made up of two words would win." The most popular name in the contest was actually Blizzard, but the team wanted a name that expressed something more unique about Minnesota. A team official said, "Minnesota is the only one of the 48 states in the nation's mainland that has Timberwolves roaming free in packs."

(Note: The Home 48 is the rest of the U.S. states except Alaska and Hawaii, the so-called "lower 48.")

18. New Jersey Nets

In 1967, the New Jersey Americans joined the American Basketball Association (ABA). The next season, 1968, the team moved to New York City and changed its name to the New York Nets, a name that easily rhymed with the Jets and Mets - the latter two being the names of New York's other two professional teams. 1977-78 saw the team move back to New Jersey, but the name remained the same. , though the team name remained the same. In 1994, the Nets are said to have considered changing the name to Swamp Dragons or Fire Dragons to boost the market.

(Translation: The New Jersey Nets are now the Brooklyn Nets.)

19. New Orleans Hornets

Most NBA fans know that the New Orleans Hornets were originally based in Charlotte and spent some time in Oklahoma City. But few know that the team was almost named the "Spirit" in the beginning. 1987, George Shinn and his group announced that they would name the new Charlotte team "Spirit," and the fans were not happy. The fans were not happy. Some fans associated the name with

PTL Club, a Charlotte-based evangelical Christian television program. Shinn decided to sponsor another name contest, allowing fans to vote for one of six names to be chosen. With more than 9,000 votes cast, "Hornets" beat out the remaining five, Knights, Cougars, Spirit, Crowns and Stars, by a wide margin. Later, Shinn noted the historical significance of the name "Wasp": During the American Revolutionary War, a British commander is said to have compared Charlotte and the surrounding area to a wasp's nest.

(Translation: the New Orleans Hornets changed to the New Orleans Pelicans this year.)

20. New York Knicks

The term "Knickerbockers" was coined to describe the pants worn by Dutch colonists in the New World during the 17th century, which were rolled up just below the knee. Many of these colonists made their homes in and around New York. Along with this, a cartoon depicting Father Knickerbockers became a famous symbol of New York City, and in 1845, baseball organized its first team, named "the Knickerbocker Nine. In 1946, when New York was authorized to form a team affiliated with the National Basketball Association (BAA), the name was recalled. Reportedly, it was team founder Ned Irish who decided to name the team the Knickerbockers.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Seattle Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City after the 2007-08 season. Fans voted on the finalists from 64 possible team names. In the end, Thunder edged out Renegades, Twisters, and Barons for near-unanimous approval. After the team name was announced, the Thunder set a record for ticket sales on the first day. Team president Clay Bennett told reporters, "[Fans designed] a nice variety of thunder and lightning motifs and slogans that symbolize the Thunder, and they're already using the Thunder in basketball games." The original team name, SuperSonics, has been used for an airplane called the SuperSonic Transport. The plane was built by Boeing -- which has a very large plant in the Seattle area.

(Translation: Seattle, home to Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks, is supposed to be a very wealthy city. There have been investors for several years fighting to be able to rebuild an NBA team in Seattle.)

22. Orlando Magic

With the possibility of a professional team in the Oakland area, the Orlando Sentinel sponsored a name contest. The name Challengers -- which also symbolizes the space shuttle Challenger, which exploded in 1986 -- was the most popular. Other names included Floridians, Juice, Orbits, Astronauts, Aquamen and Sentinel. But the name contest committee (which included Orlando team management) revisited the names and decided on Magic. The name apparently pays homage to Disneyland, a major attraction in the tourist-rich city of Orlando.

23. Philadelphia 76ers

In 1963, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Brotherly Love, and the team was renamed the 76ers, symbolizing the 1776 team. " to symbolize the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776.

24. Phoenix Suns

In 1968, Jerry Colangelo, then a 28-year-old manager, decided to give his team a name through a contest. Of the 28,000 names entered in the contest, Colangelo chose the Scorpions, Rattlers, Suns and Thunderbirds as finalists, and ultimately chose "Suns". One lucky fan who entered won $1,000 and season tickets. The contest also included puzzling names like White Wing Doves, Sun Lovers, Poobahs, Dudes and Cactus Giants.

(Translation: Jerry Colangelo is the famous Jerry. Colangelo. Now the Grand Master of the U.S. National Team. Back in the day, the team was still translated as the Phoenix Suns - not Phoenix as phonetically translated. In the interest of time, I won't explain the "confusing" names).

25. Portland Trail Blazers

In 1970, the NBA authorized a team in Portland. The team's management then announced a name contest. Of the more than 10,000 names submitted for the contest, "Pioneers" was the most frequently suggested, although it was ruled out because it was already in use at nearby Lewis & Clark College.

Another popular name is "Trail Blazers," which is thought to symbolize five members of the same team playing against five members of another team.

26. Sacramento Kings

The Kings' "dragon lineage" can be traced all the way back to the founding of the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1945, when the team moved to Cincinnati in 1957. In 1972, the team became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings through a name contest, and in 1985, the team moved again to Sacramento, California, where the name remained. .

27. San Antonio Spurs

In 1973, a group of San Antonio investors purchased the Dallas Chaparrals from the American Basketball Association (ABA). They wanted to immediately change the team's name to the San Antonio Gunslingers (San Antonio Gunslingers). However, before the Gunslingers played their first game at their new home in San Antonio, the group that owned the team renamed it the Spurs. Reports indicate that the name came about as a result of a contest. It may be just a coincidence that one of the team's major investors, Red McCombs, was born in the Spur area of San Antonio, Texas.

28. Toronto Raptors

The parent company of this Toronto team conducted intensive market research across Canada in 1994 before preparing to launch the team, and also held a national poll so that team management would have some names to choose from. The Raptors, popular among the general public thanks to the movie Jurassic Park, ended up edging out the Bobcats and Dragons as the team's name.

29. Utah Jazz

Don't get me wrong, Utah isn't known for jazz. The Jazz were founded in New Orleans in 1974, and when they moved to Utah's capital city of Salt Lake City in 1979, the team's management decided to stick with the original name. The name "Jazz" originally came from the team's name contest. Other finalists included the Dukes, Crescents, Pilots, Cajuns, Blues, Deltas, and Knights. While the name Arcadia (Cajuns) was probably worse than Jazz, the name Delta (Deltas) was still very much in the running at the time to be the team's name when the team relocated to Salt Lake City (the eponymous American Delta Airlines had a regional hub in Salt Lake City).

(Note: The Jazz's original home court was named "Delta Center" under the auspices of Delta - now Delta Air Lines). "(Note: The original home of the Jazz was the Delta Center Arena, named by Delta - now Delta Air Lines - Airlines, which was renamed Energy Solutions when the sponsorship expired.)

30.Washington Wizards

In the early 1990s, Abe Pollin, owner of the Washington Bullets, was disturbed by the association between the team's name and gun violence. When his friend Yitzhak Rabin, who was also Israel's prime minister, was assassinated, Pollin decided to do something about it. He announces that he is going to rename the team. (Dan Steinberg of D.C. Sports Bog has written a very thorough history of the team's name change and questioned the supposed impact of Rabin's death on the team's name change)

In the ensuing name contest, fans began voting on the finalists. Those names included the Wizards, Dragons, Express, Stallions and Sea Dogs. Prior to the 1997-98 season, "Wizards" became the final team name. But it wasn't long before the president of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

) weighed in, arguing that the Wizards name was reminiscent of the infamous Ku Klux Klan. The team's previous names include the Packers and the Zephyrs.

(Note: The word "Wizards" also means witches. Perhaps the image of witches in white is close to that of the KKK.)