Smirfitts Speech

By: Steven Smirfitt

A great logo can make all the difference in the world of sports, the best logos are instantly recognizable and often bring in large sums of money for the leagues franchises. Today we rank the NBA’s best logo.

1. The Chicago Bulls:

The Chicago Bulls logo is widely regarded as one of the most memorable and iconic sports logos in history. The only NBA team with the original logo dating back to 1966. This logo will stand the test of time as it continues to be a classic sports logo.

The iconic Bulls’ logo is comprises of the face of an angry and fierce red bull whose horns are tipped with blood. A wordmark “CHICAGO BULLS” in black above the bull. The logo was designed by noted American graphic designer Dean P. Wessel, a commercial designer and owner of a commercial design firm and the logo was adopted in 1966.

2. The Boston Celtics:

The world-famous figure has his left eye winking at you, his left hand resting on his shillelagh, his right index finger is pointing straight upward with a brown basketball sitting atop, his left foot crossed over and to the side of the right foot, he possesses a big smile (with a pipe projecting from the right corner of his mouth) and he is dressed in black buckle shoes, black pants, a gold front-button vest with a matching bow tie (with green three-leaf clovers displayed prominently in view on both), a long-sleeved white shirt and all topped off with a black derby hat with the same matching three-leaf clovers. A wordmark “BOSTON CELTICS” in white arched around the logo in a green circle.

3. The Milwaukee Bucks:

The new Buck is only looking ahead, an imposing figure determined and focused on the path in front of him. An expanded rack (from 8 to 12 points) showing the maturation of the Buck, and underlining the point that he has become an even greater force. The basketball feature in the negative space between the antlers. The M Shape within the chest chevron as an homage to Milwaukee. With hard edges that appear almost cut from metal, and industrial but classic proprietary font juxtaposed against the curvature of the logo represents a symbolic union of urban and rural Wisconsin.

4. The Philadelphia 76ers:

The 76ers have always been closely identified with the logo featuring the number “76” with “13” stars arranged in a circle above the number “7” to represent the original “13” American colonies. The logo portrays the patriotic nature of the United States, prominently featuring the colors red, blue and white, and Philadelphia’s reputation as the birthplace of American independence.

 The team’s new primary logo is a modern interpretation of the classic Sixers insignia, stylistically redeveloped to include a patriotic blue border with six white stars and “PHILADELPHIA” adorned across the heading. The familiar white basketball has been visually updated with a positional rotation of the seams. The emblematic ring of 13 stars present in the primary, partial and secondary logos continues to represent the original American Colonies.

5. The Toronto Raptors:

The new design features a silver basketball with black lines that resemble the dinosaur claw that’s long been associated with the team. The words “Toronto Raptors” appear in white, block lettering above and below the basketball design on a black background with a red border. The new logo was designed by local firm Sid Lee a creative services agency.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves:

The logo has many nods to Minnesota, the team and, of course, the Timberwolf.

There’s the North Star which represents one of the pillars Minnesota hangs its hat on. The star represents Minnesota pride.

The new logo represents looking forward and carving out new territory. The open mouth with the teeth showing represents the fierce .energy of not just one Wolf, but a collective unit. To show aggression and fearlessness to the future. The green of the eyes is a nod to the green that surrounds the state whether that be through Northern Lights, reflection of ice crystals in the winter or the flourishing of buds of trees in the spring.

The primarily colors include midnight blue, aurora green, lake blue, moonlight grey and frost white.

“From the motion and vibrant hues of the Northern Lights, to the depths and reflections of a midnight forest, to the rich contrasts of this great frozen city of the north, the palette is the perfect representation of modern sport colors inspired by the story of Minnesota’s landscape,” Richardson said. “It’s color with a sense of place.”

For Richardson, he loves how the logo is simple, yet intense. The logo was designed by Rodney Richardson of RARE Design.

7. The Golden State Warriors:

A silhouette of the yet to be completed Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge is the focal point of the design and a direct spin-off of “The City” logo, one of the most popular emblems in the history of Warriors. Depth was added to the circular band portion of the logo taken directly from the original model to provide a modern customization of the graphic design. The simple, yet sleek, design of the Warriors new logo is the result of an 18-month creative and marketing collaboration between the Warriors, the National Basketball Association and adidas.

8. The Denver Nuggets:

Gold pickaxes with a white and gold mountain peak between them, a white and gold basketball below inside a navy blue and red with gold trim roundel. Wordmark “DENVER NUGGETS” in white encircling the logo separated by two odd shaped gold stars.

9. The Memphis Grizzlies:

The current logo was adopted in 2004 and features a more benign looking grizzlies bear’s head accented in three different shades of blue and with yellow eyes. A wordmark “MEMPHIS” in a two tone blue color and a wordmark “GRIZZLIES” in light blue on the bottom. Though not the snarling grizzlies bear as on the original logo, the new bear logo still reflects a level of focus and intensity.

10. The Dallas Mavericks:

Incorporating a shield with a the head of a stallion, the stallion’s mane sweeps inside a circle giving the appearance of the seam lines found on a basketball. In addition, a wordmark of “Mavericks” at the bottom above a star and a wordmark “DALLAS” in black above the stallion.

New shades of blue and silver in this new logo version.

11. The New Orleans Pelicans:

The Pelicans primary logo has a red background with the wordmark “PELICANS” and “NEW ORLEANS” written in white, a pelican’s head in white, gold wings and a bill in red, a gold basketball and crescent and a red fleur de lis at the top.

12. The Cleveland Cavaliers:

The new Cavaliers logos will carry forward both the popular “C-Sword” and “C” logos from previous years, as well as the original expression of Cavaliers Wine & Gold, the team’s first colors in their inaugural 1970 season, which were re-introduced in 2010-11. Navy remains a complimentary color, while black is officially introduced as a new and permanent addition to the Cavaliers color palette.

13. The Los Angeles Lakers:

The latest Lakers logo consists of a wordmark, “LOS ANGELES LAKERS” written in a strong purple with stretched lines from the text signifies the fast speed of the team, on top of a gold with black outline basketball.

14. The Charlotte Hornets:

The new Hornets logo utilizes the purple and teal color palette and features an aggressive looking hornet that is ready to attack. Its piercing eyes, raised antennae, expanded wings and pointed stinger depict its relentless intensity. Incorporated within the logo is a basketball that doubles as the hornet’s body. The logo contains several odes to that of the original Hornets with its white wings, white accents within its eyes, a stinger and the inclusion of a basketball. A wordmark “CHARLOTTE HORNETS” in white.

15. The New York Knicks:

The present Knicks logo was last updated during the start of the 2011 season. “Then we came up with the triangular shape in the background to almost give it a super-hero feeling. We drew inspiration from Superman, Batman and Gotham City. There’s no city like New York, there’s no lifestyle like New York. We worked with a native New Yorker named Michael Doret, who was a Knicks fan and the perfect guy to help us pull off the logo. The Knicks have had a total of 8 different logos over their over 65-year history.

The black was eliminated from the color scheme and the words “New York” was continued. One of the things we really wanted to do was capture some of the feeling in New York, so we made the ‘Knicks’ font looking up. It’s as if you’re right by the Garden and you’re looking up to the sky, and what you see are tall shapes. That was kind of the inspiration, and we added black below the lettering. Now it’s silver. We also evolved the basketball a little bit to make it more authentic to the actual ball.

16. The Detroit Pistons:

In 2017 the Pistons return to the 80’s and 90’s logo. Pistons changed the basketball to a solid red with white outline. The wordmark “DETROIT PISTONS” in white and in the center of the basketball. The red basketball is enclosed with a blue ring.

The logo modifies the text-over-red-basketball scheme the team has used for the last 12 seasons, reducing the font size significantly and altering the look of the ball. It closely resembles the team’s logo from 1979–1996, which notably includes the Bad Boys era.

“The bold red, white and blue color scheme and basketball icon have withstood the test of time through the evolution of the franchise and the city,” the team said. “And now that a new chapter is being written, that evolution continues with a new identity built on the Pistons championship tradition and promising future.”

Detroit’s 2005-2017 logo was starting to look a bit outdated, and the cleaner retro look is a big upgrade.

The chrome outline on the new logo pays tribute to Detroit muscle cars, the team said.

17. The San Antonio Spurs:

In 1970, they became a regional franchise called the Texas Chaparrals, then they relocated to San Antonio in 1973. Team officials wanted a name that reflected the Western heritage of Texas, so a contest was held and the name Spurs was chosen. Spurs adding to their dynasty with another championship, their silver, and black logo has become front and center. 

Double arched wordmark “SAN ANTONIO” on top and “SPURS” on the bottom in black. The letter “U” is the alternate logo of a spur.

18. The Atlanta Hawks:

“Our fans have been so excited by the return of the iconic Pac-Man logo. This season, we set merchandising sales records for Hawks and Pac-Man gear so it was a natural move to make Pac-Man the primary logo for the Atlanta franchise. The addition of the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club to the logo is just as meaningful as it speaks to our belief system that an inclusive and welcoming culture to all Atlantans is the only way to truly be a successful franchise,” CEO Steve Koonin said.

The new primary logo is an enhanced return to the team’s “Pac-Man logo” that was used from 1972 – 1995 and that served as the team’s secondary logo this season. The enhanced logo adds the words “Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club” around the Pac-Man design. The modernized ‘Pac-Hawk’ logo inside a red roundel, with a wordmark “ATLANTA HAWKS BASKETBALL CLUB” arched around in white.

19. The Sacramento Kings:

The new primary emblem is inspired by the Kings classic logo from 1985. It is reimagined to reflect the civic and franchise pride that has lasted and grown for a generation. Now, with a clean, modern look – a reshaped crown, refined basketball and new typeface that puts Sacramento front and center – the new identity draws from the team’s ambitious beginnings and reminds our region and the world that Sacramento is undergoing a transformation.

 The new primary logo closely resembles the team’s original logo created back when the franchise moved from Kansas City to Sacramento in 1985. A wordmark “KINGS” in purple in between a purple crown and a silver basketball. In addition a wordmark “SACRAMENTO” in white above the basketball.

20. The Oklahoma City Thunder:

The Oklahoma City Thunder unveiled their first logo on September 3, 2008. The logo is a large blue and yellow banner with the logo in the middle with the wordmark “OKC,” and splashes of yellow at the top and reddish-orange at the bottom. On top is the wordmark “THUNDER.”

According to majority owner Clay Bennett, the light blue color coincides with the state flag to represent the inclusion of all Oklahomans, the yellow refers to the sun and the reddish-orange color to the sunset. With the University of Oklahoma featuring crimson as its primary color, and Oklahoma State using orange, Bennett said it was “not too red and not too orange.” 

21. The Phoenix Suns:

A basketball sunburst over the stacked wordmark “PHOENIX SUNS” with a new font. The new logo features a black backdrop and a simplified basketball similar to the one used by the team from 1993 – 2000.

22. The Washington Wizards:

The new primary logo incorporates the “monument ball” design that has been in place since 2011 in combination with the iconic striping from the team’s uniforms, the three stars that represent D.C., Maryland and Virginia and the team’s wordmark “WASHINGTON” on top and “WIZARDS” on the bottom all in white.

23. The Miami Heat:

The Heat’s logo is a simple logo that has not changed over its short history. All changes are color changes. A very clever design of a flaming basketball coming through a hoop. Nice addition of the flame tip on the letter “T” in the wordmark.

In 1999, Miami Heat logo went through a minor changes, the structure and shape remain unchanged, but the color of the fiery basketball has changed to red below the rim and orange above the rim and the hoop has changed to white with black border. The T on the word Heat also shows a little flame on the top.

24. The Orlando Magic:

In 2011, the new logo incorporates the Magic’s wordmark “MAGIC” in blue with a white and black border giving a more integrated look. The updated look includes the team’s current logo with the iconic star ball carried over from the previous logo. On top is a wordmark “ORLANDO” in black.

25.The Portland Trail Blazers:

The team’s “pinwheel” logo, originally designed by the cousin of Harry Glickman, Frank Glickman of Boston, it is a graphic interpretation of two five-on-five basketball teams lined up against each other. One side of the pinwheel is red; the other side is silver, formerly black or white. The logo has gone from a vertical alignment to a slanted one starting in the 1991 season, creating a straight edge along the top. The Trailblazers have had 5 different logos over their 45-year history.

The main change is the swap of the colors in the pinwheel, with red moving up top, and white – instead of silver – going to the bottom. There’s also a slight design change in terms of the angles and the ends of the pinwheel which do look pretty nice.

As for other changes, the font has been updated — there are now serifs on both the “P” and “T” — and the lines are now at a 45 degree angle, which according to the team represents “the 45th Parallel North that leads on a path to the Northwest region.” Anyone who has driven over and over again past that 45th Parallel sign on I-5 in Salem can attest to that.

26. The Brooklyn Nets:

The Brooklyn Nets will have a black-and-white color scheme, which pays homage to the old New York subway signage system. This new logo is now called “the new badge of Brooklyn” by a very optimistic Nets CEO Brett Yormark. The logo was designed by part owner and hip hop legend Jay-Z’s design group, Timothy Morris (the one who designed the logo) is one of Jay-Z’s primary designers.

The new Nets logo features a blacked out shield and the wordmark “NETS” accompanied by the letter “B” inside a basketball in a crest and “BROOKLYN” underneath.

27. The Utah Jazz:

The Utah Jazz unveiled their new color scheme and the classic J-note logo, revealing a familiar look that is a throwback to the team’s early years in New Orleans and Salt Lake City. The team will now sport some of its old-school colors, including dark green and dark yellow as trim colors. Gray joins the darker blue, green and yellow tones as an official Jazz color. The Jazz wordmark – with the iconic music note “J” and the state’s name, will now be the team’s primary logo.

28. The Houston Rockets:

In the 2003 – 2004 season, the Houston Rockets return to their traditional Rockets red and white color scheme with a more modern, space-aged Houston Rockets logo, which is a depiction of an “R” that takes off like a rocket ship with twin boosters. The “R” is in the middle of the wordmark “HOUSTON ROCKETS” in red.

29. The Los Angeles Clippers:

“This is an exciting time to be a Clippers fan,” Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer said. “We have one of the top teams in the NBA, and now we have introduced a new look that is bold, edgy, powerful and truly representative of us turning the page and entering a brand new age.” The L.A. Clippers new visual identity is a symbolic turning of the page to the next era of Clippers basketball. The primary logo retains the legacy colors of red, white and blue as a tribute to the Clippers faithful while adding black to provide a modern edge.

The curved lines in the primary Clippers wordmark symbolize the horizon of the ocean as seen from the bridge of a Clipper ship – alluding to the team’s nautical theme roots. Unique, iconic and a distinctly “L.A.” logo, the Clippers new LAC monogram depicts a blue “C” wrapping around the “L.A.”, literally embracing the city. The stacked LA also takes the shape of a basketball court signifying “LA Basketball”. In addition, the silver lining seen in the Clippers wordmark signifies the renewed collective optimism of Clipper Nation.

30. The Indiana Pacers:

The Pacers logo is a very simple “P” logo and has only changed slightly over the 40 years of the teams’ existence. The Pacer has had only 4 versions of their fashionable logo letter “P.”

Former primary logo in the middle of a yellow ring with wordmark on top “INDIANA and on the bottom “PACERS” in blue.