List of NBA mascots

Last updated

National Basketball Association (NBA) team mascots are as follows. Two mascots, Go the Gorilla and Rocky the Mountain Lion were ranked fourth [1] and ninth [2] respectively on AskMen.com's top 10 sports mascots. As of now, four teams do not have a mascot, namely the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, and Golden State Warriors.

Contents

Current mascots

TeamMascot(s)Photo
Atlanta Hawks Harry the Hawk Harry The Hawk.jpg
Boston Celtics Lucky the Leprechaun
Charlotte Hornets Hugo the Hornet, Super Hugo US Navy 091104-N-9319B-099 Rear Adm. Victor G. Guillory watches the mascot for the New Orleans Hornets.jpg
Chicago Bulls Benny the Bull, Mini Benny, Big Ben, Benji, Mama Betty, Inflatabulls 20180206 UM-NW Benny The Bull 7DM27126.jpg
Cleveland Cavaliers Moondog and Sir CC Cleveland Cavaliers masocts.jpg
Dallas Mavericks Champ and Mavs Man
Denver Nuggets Rocky the Mountain Lion Rocky at Buckley 1.jpg
Detroit Pistons Hooper, Mini Hooper Hooper, the official mascot of the Detroit Pistons.jpg
Houston Rockets Clutch the Bear
Mini Clutch
Clutch-Halloween-2005.jpg
Indiana Pacers Boomer
Mini Boomer
Boomer Backwards dunk.jpg
Los Angeles Clippers Chuck the Condor Sami Khan, co-founder of Cerberus Interactive with Chuck the Condor at Condor Country launch event (30269783980).jpg
Los Angeles Lakers none
Memphis Grizzlies Grizz
Miami Heat Burnie
Milwaukee Bucks Bango (the Buck)
Bango Jr.
Bango (5572009293).jpg
Minnesota Timberwolves Crunch the Wolf Crunch the Wolf at Target Center.jpg
New Orleans Pelicans Pierre the Pelican
King Cake Baby
Pierre The Pelican.jpg
Oklahoma City Thunder Rumble the Bison Rumble the bison.png
Orlando Magic Stuff the Magic Dragon US Navy 071127-N-6936D-265 Members of the Orlando Magic Dancers and STUFF the Magic Dragon sign autographs for Sasebo Sailors and their families during the Pacific-leg of an Armed Forces Entertainment tour.jpg
Philadelphia 76ers Franklin
Phoenix Suns The Gorilla
Portland Trail Blazers Blaze the Trail Cat
Douglas Fur
Sacramento Kings Slamson the Lion
Roy Al
Slamson Cropped.jpg
San Antonio Spurs Coyote Spurs Coyote sign.JPG
Toronto Raptors The Raptor Raptor dancing.jpg
Utah Jazz Jazz Bear
Lil Bear
NBA Commitment to Service 151106-F-LS255-392.jpg
Washington Wizards G-Wiz, G-Man Washington Wizards G-Wiz.jpg

Former mascots

TeamMascot(s)Photo
Atlanta Hawks Skyhawk
Brooklyn Nets BrooklyKnight
Charlotte Bobcats Rufus D. Lynx Malik Rose and the Sacramento Kings dancers and the Bobcats mascot WTF.jpg
Chicago Bulls Da Bull
Cleveland Cavaliers Whammer, The Wizard
Denver Nuggets Maxie Miner [3]
Detroit Pistons Sir Slam A Lot
Houston Rockets Booster, Turbo
Golden State Warriors Thunder, Berserker
Indiana Pacers Hoop T Dunker
Bowser – Boomer's counterpart, Pete M. Panther
Los Angeles Clippers Sam Dunk
New Jersey Nets Duncan the Dragon
SuperDunk
Sly the Silver Fox
Mini Sly
New Orleans Hornets Hugo
(Current mascot of the Charlotte Hornets)
US Navy 091104-N-9319B-099 Rear Adm. Victor G. Guillory watches the mascot for the New Orleans Hornets.jpg
Philadelphia 76ers Hip Hop [a]
Lil Hip Hop
Big Shot [b]
Hoops
Portland Trail Blazers Sparky
Bigfoot
Sacramento Kings The Gorilla
Seattle SuperSonics Squatch,
The Wheedle
Squatch2005small.jpg
Toronto Raptors Stripes
Washington Bullets Hoops
Washington Wizards G. Wiz

Mascot of the Year

In 1997, the mascots started having an annual meeting at the NBA Mascot Conference. Since 2005, the conference also selects an individual to be honored as the top professional in the league, the Mascot of the Year. [6]

YearMascotTeam
2005 Clutch [7] Houston Rockets
2006 Jazz Bear [8] Utah Jazz
2007 Hugo the Hornet [9] New Orleans Hornets
2008Jazz Bear (2) [8] Utah Jazz
2009 Rumble the Bison [10] Oklahoma City Thunder
2010Bango [10] Milwaukee Bucks
2011Grizz [11] Memphis Grizzlies
2012 Crunch the Wolf [12] Minnesota Timberwolves
2013 Clutch (2) [13] Houston Rockets
2014 The Coyote [14] San Antonio Spurs
2015 Benny the Bull [15] Chicago Bulls
2016 Stuff the Magic Dragon [16] Orlando Magic
2017Stuff the Magic Dragon (2)Orlando Magic
2018Jazz Bear (3) [17] Utah Jazz
2019Rocky the Mountain Lion Denver Nuggets
2020The Coyote (2)San Antonio Spurs
2021Clutch (3)Houston Rockets
2022Chuck the Condor Los Angeles Clippers
2023Harry the Hawk Atlanta Hawks
2024TBDTBD

Notes

  1. Replaced by new owners following the 2012 season. [4]
  2. Retired when the 76ers departed the Spectrum following the 1996 season. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Iverson</span> American basketball player (born 1975)

Allen Ezail Iverson is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Answer", he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iverson won NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 and was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star Game MVP Award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. In October 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Iverson is regarded as one of the game's greatest scorers, ball handlers, guards, and one of the most influential athletes in American sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Van Horn</span> American basketball player (born 1975)

Keith Adam Van Horn is an American former professional basketball player. Van Horn played for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Jones (basketball, born 1951)</span> American basketball player (born 1951)

Robert Clyde "Bobby" Jones is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Denver Nuggets in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Secretary of Defense", Jones won an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1983, was a four-time NBA All-Star, a nine-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team, and was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1983. In 2019, Jones was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doc Rivers</span> American basketball coach and player (born 1961)

Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). An NBA player for 14 seasons, he was an NBA All-Star and was named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donyell Marshall</span> American basketball player (born 1973)

Donyell Lamar Marshall is an American basketball coach and former professional player. During his National Basketball Association (NBA) career, he played with eight different teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francisco Elson</span> Dutch basketball player (born 1976)

Francisco Marinho Robby Elson is a Dutch former professional basketball player. Elson was the seventh Dutch player to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Elson served as the captain of the Netherlands national basketball team in international basketball, as he led the team in several EuroBasket qualifying rounds. He was the first Dutch player to become NBA champion, with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Booth</span> American basketball player (born 1976)

Calvin Lawrence Booth is an American basketball executive and a former professional basketball player who currently serves as the general manager of the Denver Nuggets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Blue Coats</span> American professional basketball team of the NBA G League

The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware. They are the G-League affiliates of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The Blue Coats are owned by Josh Harris and David Blitzer under Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), who also own the 76ers.

The Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team represents Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Saint Joseph's competes as well as part of the Philadelphia Big 5. Their home court is the Hagan Arena. The team is coached by Billy Lange, who was hired on March 28, 2019, after Phil Martelli was fired as head coach on March 19, 2019, after 24 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Turner</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1988)

Evan Marcel Turner is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2010 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dario Šarić</span> Croatian basketball player (born 1994)

Dario Šarić is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He also represents the senior Croatia national team. He joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016 playing two seasons for the team before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. After a season with the team he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the 2019 offseason and played 4 seasons for the team before being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2023 trade deadline. That following offseason, he joined the Golden State Warriors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Olynyk</span> Canadian basketball player (born 1991)

Kelly Tyler Olynyk is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, where he earned NCAA All-American honours in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Simmons</span> Australian basketball player (born 1996)

Benjamin David Simmons is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the LSU Tigers, after which he was named a consensus first-team All-American and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year. Simmons was selected with the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. After sitting out a year due to an injured right foot, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018 and was selected three times to the NBA All-Star Game. As the result of a holdout from the 76ers following the 2020–21 season, which led him to be traded to the Nets, Simmons is the most-fined player in NBA history, in terms of total financial loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Embiid</span> Cameroonian-American basketball player (born 1994)

Joel Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian-American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks, he was drafted third overall by the 76ers in the 2014 NBA draft. The 7-foot (2.13 m) Embiid is a seven-time NBA All-Star, a five-time member of the All-NBA Team, a three-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and a two-time NBA scoring champion. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2023. Embiid also won a gold medal on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Clarkson</span> American and Filipino basketball player (born 1992)

Jordan Taylor Clarkson is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for two seasons with Tulsa before transferring to Missouri, where he earned second-team all-conference honors in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). After forgoing his senior year in college to enter the 2014 NBA draft, Clarkson was selected by the Washington Wizards in the second round with the 46th overall pick and was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Clarkson was traded to the Cavaliers in 2018. In December 2019 he was traded to the Jazz. On March 24, 2015, Clarkson along with Jeremy Lin, became the first Asian-American starting back court in NBA history. In 2021, Clarkson was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Hield</span> Bahamian basketball player (born 1992)

Chavano Rainer "Buddy" Hield is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners and was named the Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, he received four major national player of the year awards: the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith Award, Sporting News Player of the Year, and the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Hield was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans and was traded to the Sacramento Kings for DeMarcus Cousins in 2017. He was dealt to the Indiana Pacers in a package for Domantas Sabonis in 2022. In February 2024, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. In July 2024, Hield was involved in a 6-team trade that involved him getting traded to the Golden State Warriors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyrese Maxey</span> American basketball player (born 2000)

Tyrese Maxey is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Reed (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1999)

Paul Reed, nicknamed "BBall Paul", is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the DePaul Blue Demons.

References

  1. "Top 10: Sports Mascots. (page 2)". AskMen. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  2. "Top 10: Sports Mascots (page 1)". AskMen. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  3. "A look back at Denver Nuggets' history". Denver Stiffs . August 10, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  4. Sixers say goodbye to Hip-Hop
  5. Philadelphia 76ers introduce their new mascot, doggone it. (Video) - Philadelphia Business Journal
  6. Alum named NBA Mascot of the Year
  7. Mascot of the Year: Houston's own Clutch.
  8. 1 2 "NBA Mascots To Celebrate Dixie State's Mascot's Birthday At February Basketball Games". Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  9. "NBA Mascot of the Year". Archived from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  10. 1 2 NBA Mascot of the Year
  11. Memphis' 'Grizz' named 2011 NBA Mascot of the Year
  12. Congratulations, Crunch!
  13. Barajas, Erik (August 19, 2013). "Rockets' Clutch the Bear wins best mascot title in NBA". ABC. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  14. Whitaker, Lang (August 1, 2014). "San Antonio Coyote Named Mascot of the Year". All Ball. NBA. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  15. Chicago's Benny the Bull named NBA Mascot of the Year
  16. @OrlandoMagic (29 July 2016). "Wooooooohooooooooo!!! RETWEET to congratulate @STUFFMagic on being named @NBA Mascot of the Year!!" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  17. Utah Jazz: Jazz Bear returns to the top, earns third Mascot of the Year Award

Commons-logo.svg Media related to National Basketball Association mascots at Wikimedia Commons