The Hornets name stayed with the franchise when it moved from Charlotte to New Orleans, but the name never really jived with the team’s new hometown. Truthfully, we were still reeling over the irony of our old team relocating to Utah, of all places, and retaining the Jazz name; insert “Footloose” joke here.
When Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints, bought the Hornets franchise there was hope that the team would adopt a more New Orleans-oriented moniker. Initial buzz led fans to believe that the team could possibly be named the Krewe, in honor of our Mardi Gras heritage, or the Brass, a name in tune with the city’s rich contributions to jazz music. Some even joked about naming the team the New Orleans Bounce as a tribute to the iconic sub-genre of rap music that hails from New Orleans.
Tom Benson chose to name the team the Pelicans which has proven to be a polarizing move, but fans do seem satisfied with the well-designed logo and the fact that the new team colors are drawn from the city’s flag. The Hornets-to-Pelicans transition is by no means the first time that an NBA team changed names. In fact, there are ten other teams currently in the NBA that began their franchise history with a different nickname.
Atlanta Hawks
The NBA’s Atlanta Hawks originated as the Buffalo Bisons of the NBL in 1946. Later that year, the team adopted the Tri-Cities Blackhawks moniker which it would carry through its transition into the NBA in 1949. The franchise truncated its nickname to the Hawks when it moved to Milwaukee in 1951 and the shortened moniker remained in place when the team moved to St. Louis in 1955 and to Atlanta in 1968.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets began life as the New Jersey Americans of the ABA in 1967. The franchise adopted the New York Nets name in 1968, a name it would carry with it into the NBA in 1976. The next year they became the New Jersey Nets and in 2012 the franchise was renamed the Brooklyn Nets.
Denver Nuggets
The ABA’s Denver Rockets changed names to the Denver Nuggets in 1974 in anticipation of their move to the NBA in 1976. The franchise dropped the Rockets moniker so there would be no confusion with the Houston Rockets.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Buffalo Braves NBA franchise was renamed the Clippers when they moved to San Diego in 1978. The Clippers nickname remained in place when the team relocated to Los Angeles in 1984.
Los Angeles Lakers
While many people know that the Lakers were originally located in Minneapolis until 1960, many do not know that the franchise was created from the ashes of the disbanded Detroit Gems of the NBL.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Supersonics left Seattle for Oklahoma City in 2008 and seized the opportunity to rebrand the franchise, adopting the Thunder name.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Syracuse Nationals of the NBL retained their name when they joined the NBA in 1949. The franchise’s move to Philadelphia in 1963 resulted in the adoption of the 76ers moniker to reflect the city’s heritage.
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings were originally the Rochester Royals. The Royals name remained when the franchise moved to Cincinnati in 1957, but in 1972 another move would see the franchise split home bases between Kansas City and Omaha and the team became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. In 1975, the name was officially shortened to the Kansas City Kings. When the franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985 the Kings name stayed with the franchise.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs carried their name with them when they moved from the ABA to the NBA in 1976. However, the team was branded with the Dallas Chaparrals and Texas Chaparrals names prior to moving to San Antonio in 1973.
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards actually started their NBA history as the Chicago Packers in 1961. The team adopted the Chicago Zephyrs name the next year before moving to Baltimore in 1963 where they were named the Bullets. The Bullets name endured for over three decades as the team became the Capital Bullets and then the Washington Bullets. In 1997, the Washington Bullets became the Washington Wizards.
The contributor is a New Orleans resident who is glad to see the city’s NBA team take on a nickname reflective of the region it represents.
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