Relocated NBA Teams
Throughout the history of NBA, many teams have changed their locations and after relocating themselves, they had to change their name and sometimes nickname as well. Here is a list of all those NBA teams who have been relocated to other cities.
Atlanta Hawks
Buffalo Bisons (1946)
Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946-51)
Milwaukee Hawks (1951-55)
St. Louis Hawks (1955-68)
Atlanta Hawks (1968-present)
Detroit Pistons
Fort Wayne Pistons (1941-57)
Detroit Pistons (1957-present)
Golden State Warriors
Philadelphia Warriors (1946-62)
San Francisco Warriors (1962-71)
Golden State Warriors (1971-present)
Houston Rockets
San Diego Rockets (1967-71)
Houston Rockets (1971-present)
Los Angeles Clippers
Buffalo Braves (1970-78)
San Diego Clippers (1978-84)
Los Angeles Clippers (1984-present)
Los Angeles Lakers
Detroit Gems (1946-47)
Minneapolis Lakers (1947-60)
Los Angeles Lakers (1960-present)
Memphis Grizzlies
Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-01)
Memphis Grizzlies (2001-present)
Brooklyn Nets
New Jersey Americans (1967-1968)
New York Nets (1968-77)
New Jersey Nets (1977-2012)
Brooklyn Nets (2012-present)
New Orleans Hornets
Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002)
New Orleans Hornets (2002-13)
(franchise will be called New Orleans Pelicans from 2013-14 season as they have decided to change their nickname)
Oklahoma City Thunder
Seattle SuperSonics (1967-2008)
Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-present)
Philadelphia 76ers
Syracuse Nationals (1946-63)
Philadelphia 76ers (1963-present)
Sacramento Kings
Rochester Royals (1945-57)
Cincinnati Royals (1957-72)
Kansas City-Omaha Kings (1972-75)
Kansas City Kings (1975-85)
Sacramento Kings (1985-present)
San Antonio Spurs
Dallas Chaparrals (1967-73)
(team was called Dallas Chaparrals from 1967 to 1973 except 1070-71 season when they played their games in Texas and named Texas Chaparrals)
San Antonio Spurs (1973-present)
Utah Jazz
New Orleans Jazz (1974-79)
Utah Jazz (1979-present)
Washington Wizards
Chicago Packers (1961-62)
Chicago Zephyrs (1962-63)
Baltimore Bullets (1963-73)
Capital Bullets (1973-74)
Washington Bullets (1974-97)
Washington Wizards (1997-present)
Some of the teams never moved and remained in their original cities.
Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics (1946- present)
Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats (2004-present)
Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls (1966-present)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers (1970-present)
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks (1980-present)
Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers (1967-present)
Miami Heat
Miami Heat (1988-present)
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks (1968-present)
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves (1989-present)
New York Knicks
New York Knicks (1946-present)
Orlando Magic
Orlando magic (1989-present)
Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns (1968-present)
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers (1970-present)
Denver Nuggets
Denver Rockets (1967-74)
Denver Nuggets (1974-present)
(Denver Nuggets was renamed when they entered NBA but never changed their location)
Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors (1995-present)
Related posts
- NBA All-Star Game Records (Team)
- 7 Incredible Records Held by Kobe Bryant
- Athletes Who Played in Both NBA and MLB
- The Stories behind the nicknames of Basketball Players
- The Kings of Flop: Rating the Biggest Floppers in NBA History
- NBA All-Star Game Records (Individual)
- 5 Biggest NBA Draft Day Trades that Changed the Fortunes of the teams
- NBA All-Star Game Winners, Complete List
- 7 Most In demand NBA Players from Endorsement Perspective
- Longest Scoring Streaks in NBA History
Comments are closed.