NBA team names can look permanent, but the league map has been redrawn many times. Some franchises moved across the country and kept their nickname. Others adopted a new identity without leaving home. A few did both.
The shortest answer is that 17 current franchises have a major city or nickname change in their recognized lineage: the Hawks, Nets, Hornets, Nuggets, Pistons, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, 76ers, Kings, Spurs, Thunder, Jazz, and Wizards. That count includes ABA history for teams that later joined the NBA and treats the Charlotte–New Orleans history carefully, because that case is unusual.
Franchise, team name, and city: what is the difference?
A franchise is the continuing league organization. Its city, nickname, colors, and arena can change while the franchise carries on. That is why the Los Angeles Lakers can trace their history to Minneapolis, and why Oklahoma City’s franchise record includes the Seattle SuperSonics years.
A relocation moves a franchise to a new market. A rebrand changes its public identity, usually the nickname and visual design. Those events often happen together, but not always. The Washington Bullets became the Wizards without moving; the New Orleans Jazz moved to Utah but kept “Jazz.”
For fans, this distinction matters when reading record books, following retired numbers, or solving team-history clues. It also explains why a familiar nickname may belong to a different historical path than expected.
The major NBA franchise moves and name changes
Here are the key lineages behind current team identities. Years mark the first season or changeover, so an offseason move may appear as the following season’s identity.
Hawks, Kings, and Wizards: the longest name trails
- Atlanta Hawks: Tri-Cities Blackhawks → Milwaukee Hawks → St. Louis Hawks → Atlanta Hawks. The franchise entered the NBA as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1949, moved to Milwaukee in 1951, to St. Louis in 1955, and to Atlanta in 1968.
- Sacramento Kings: Rochester Royals → Cincinnati Royals → Kansas City-Omaha Kings → Kansas City Kings → Sacramento Kings. The move to the Midwest in 1972 also replaced “Royals” with “Kings,” avoiding confusion with baseball’s Kansas City Royals. Sacramento became home in 1985.
- Washington Wizards: Chicago Packers → Chicago Zephyrs → Baltimore Bullets → Capital Bullets → Washington Bullets → Washington Wizards. The franchise began in 1961, reached Baltimore in 1963, adopted “Washington” in 1974, and changed from Bullets to Wizards in 1997.
These lineages are a reminder that the oldest name is not always the best shortcut to the current city.
Early NBA franchises that moved west or changed markets
- Los Angeles Lakers: Minneapolis Lakers → Los Angeles Lakers in 1960. The nickname came from Minnesota’s association with lakes and survived the move to California.
- Detroit Pistons: Fort Wayne Pistons → Detroit Pistons in 1957. “Pistons” still fit the automobile-centered identity of the new city.
- Philadelphia 76ers: Syracuse Nationals → Philadelphia 76ers in 1963. The new name references 1776 and Philadelphia’s role in American independence.
- Golden State Warriors: Philadelphia Warriors → San Francisco Warriors in 1962 → Golden State Warriors in 1971. “Golden State” is a regional identity rather than a city name.
Those histories can make old box scores look disconnected from modern standings, even though the records belong to continuing franchises.
Later relocations that kept the nickname
- Houston Rockets: San Diego Rockets → Houston Rockets in 1971. The space-themed name happened to fit Houston and NASA just as naturally as it had fit San Diego’s space-age industries.
- Utah Jazz: New Orleans Jazz → Utah Jazz in 1979. Unlike the Rockets, the nickname’s cultural connection was stronger in the original city, but the team retained it.
- Memphis Grizzlies: Vancouver Grizzlies → Memphis Grizzlies in 2001. The franchise kept the name after crossing from Canada to Tennessee.
- Brooklyn Nets: New Jersey Americans → New York Nets → New Jersey Nets → Brooklyn Nets. The franchise began in the ABA in 1967, spent 35 seasons in New Jersey, and opened its Brooklyn era in 2012.
The Clippers and Thunder changed both city and identity
The Los Angeles Clippers started as the Buffalo Braves in 1970. A 1978 move produced the San Diego Clippers, a name inspired by the sailing ships of San Diego Bay. The franchise moved again in 1984 and became the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise began as the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1967–68 season. It relocated to Oklahoma City before the 2008–09 season and introduced the Thunder name. This is one of the most prominent modern examples of a move paired with a completely new identity.
The Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans exception
Charlotte and New Orleans cannot be understood by following the nickname alone.
The original Charlotte Hornets began play in 1988 and moved to New Orleans in 2002. Charlotte received a new expansion team, the Bobcats, in 2004. New Orleans changed from Hornets to Pelicans in 2013; Charlotte reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014.
At that point, the NBA, Charlotte, and New Orleans agreed to realign the historical record. Today’s Charlotte Hornets own Charlotte’s original 1988–2002 history plus the Bobcats era beginning in 2004. The Pelicans’ record begins with the franchise’s arrival in New Orleans in 2002.
That makes Charlotte the essential caution against assuming that a nickname always carries the same record book. New Orleans also temporarily played home games in Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, but that emergency arrangement was not the same as a permanent franchise relocation.
ABA roots that still appear in NBA history
Three current teams entered the NBA in the 1976 ABA–NBA merger and had already changed identities:
- Denver Nuggets: Denver Rockets → Denver Nuggets in 1974, before joining the NBA. The new name also revived an earlier Denver basketball identity.
- San Antonio Spurs: Dallas Chaparrals, briefly Texas Chaparrals → San Antonio Spurs after the 1973 relocation.
- Brooklyn Nets: the Americans-to-Nets change occurred during the franchise’s ABA years before its later moves.
Including ABA roots gives a fuller answer to “What was this team called before?” even when the change predates NBA membership.
How to remember NBA franchise history
Learn each lineage as a short route rather than a loose set of names. Start with the current team, trace backward by city, and attach one memorable reason for the nickname. For example: Kings—Sacramento, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Rochester; or Jazz—Utah after New Orleans.
That connected approach is useful beyond trivia night. Ball Up Top’s NBA hub gathers league-specific games and guides, while the Crossover guide explains how to reason through two intersecting clues. For a broader method, see how to solve sports grids without random guessing and how to get better at sports trivia.
The central rule is simple: follow the franchise record, not just the logo. When you’re ready to put those city and team connections to use, play on Ball Up Top.