When an NBA team starts a marketing campaign to rally its fans, a great slogan is always crucial. For some teams, it’s hard to find the right fit. But when a team strikes gold, it can take a new slogan and run with it. Here, we count down the ten best NBA team slogans of the past decade.
Best NBA Team Slogans of the Past Decade
10. “Blue Collar. Gold Swagger” – 2012-13 Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers made this their slogan during the 2012-13 season, when they lost to the Miami Heat in a terrific seven-game Eastern Conference Finals battle. The colors, blue and gold, are a reference to the color scheme that Indiana’s court and jerseys have had since before the Pacers moved from the ABA to the NBA 40 years ago. The phrase suited Indiana because it was almost a direct shot at the LeBron James-era Heat, who were known for their arrogance. The Heat had beaten the Pacers the previous season, so this seemed like a budding rivalry. With this slogan, the Pacers proved that they wanted to be the foil of Miami – the quiet, humble Eastern Conference team that took care of business and dethroned the star-studded Heat. Residing in Indiana, the “blue collar” moniker fit perfectly. While the Pacers never got over the hump against Miami, they did make a statement that season. “Blue Collar; Gold Swagger” is only so low because it never quite caught on with fans as much as the slogans above it on this list.
9. “Strength in Numbers” – 2016 Golden State Warriors
Numbers say a lot about the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. 73 – Their record-breaking regular season win total. 402 – Stephen Curry’s earth-shattering record of three-pointers made in a season. There are several other meaningful figures, but not enough space to list them all. The Dubs had other reasons for making “Strength in Numbers” their motto, though. Majority owner Joe Lacob is a venture capitalist, and he undoubtedly loves numbers, reflected in Golden State’s heavy use of analytics. The team’s strong fan base is nearly unparalleled in the league, and its bench depth last season was tremendous – two strengths of the Dubs that are due to large amounts of people, or “numbers”. This slogan could have been near the top, as it fits the Warriors perfectly and became prominent during the team’s playoff run. But of course, it will always have a black mark on it: despite all the numbers pointing to Golden State capping off a historic season with a championship, the Warriors blew a 3-1 NBA Finals lead and couldn’t finish the job. Although they were still close to immortality, they didn’t achieve it. This slogan died with Golden State’s 2016 title hopes, and the Warriors’ off-season acquisition of Kevin Durant sealed the deal by greatly reducing their bench depth – or “numbers”.
8. “Hello Brooklyn” – 2012-13 Brooklyn Nets
Although this 2012 Sports Illustrated cover will live in infamy, along with former Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King’s numerous short-sighted trades, the slogan above was still crucial to the establishment of Brooklyn’s lone major sports team. In 2012, the Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Not only did they have to try to attract fans from a new city, but they had to compete with a popular team that was already in that city – the New York Knicks. It didn’t help that the Nets were coming off of a 22-44 season and had missed the playoffs in five consecutive years before the move. In fact, New Jersey had the lowest attendance in the league during the 2011-12 season. The Nets needed to do everything in their power to lure Knicks fans to their side and become a team of real interest in the Big Apple. With Jay-Z as a part owner and a sleek new black-and-white color scheme, Brooklyn was well on its way to becoming the “cool” team of the city. The Nets hired a new coach and acquired players with starry names (even if those acquisitions didn’t work out too well). “Hello Brooklyn” became a representation of all of those things; it was a sign of change, and despite the ugly aftermath of that Nets team, that motto was essential to the franchise.
7. “Fear the Deer” – 2010, 2015-present Milwaukee Bucks
“Fear the Deer” was coined late in the 2009-10 season, taking off with fans while a fun Milwaukee Bucks team brought some excitement to town. Rookie Brandon Jennings led that squad, famously erupting for 55 points in just the seventh game of his NBA career. Unfortunately for Milwaukee fans, the team couldn’t follow up on its 46-win season, failing to win even 40 games in each of the next four seasons, culminating in a 15-67 win-loss record in the 2013-14 season. But the Bucks bounced back, winning half of their games in 2014-15 and bringing the fun back with young players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker. With the anticipation building up for the following season, the Bucks brought back their old slogan in 2015. They made special “Fear the Deer” themed uniforms to use for designated games, and they even put the phrase on the side of their new court design. The slogan was popular among fans, so its return shouldn’t have been surprising. The motto proved to be important to the team and very marketable – it’s clever, catchy, and representative of the team’s moniker (a buck is a male deer).
6. “White Hot Heat” – 2006-present Miami Heat
This one gets major points for longevity. While “White Hot Heat” isn’t exactly a stroke of genius, it’s a simple nod to Miami’s main theme and has been there throughout the best periods of basketball in the history of the Miami Heat. The Heat introduced the term for the 2006 playoffs, when they started their “whiteouts” in which the entire crowd would wear white shirts. The phrase has lasted for 11 years now, a stretch during which the Heat have made the playoffs nine times. When people hear or read “White Hot Heat”, they might think of Dwyane Wade dominating the 2006 Finals, with Shaquille O’Neal by his side and Pat Riley coaching. They might think of the Big Three era, with James and Chris Bosh joining Wade for back-to-back titles. They might even remember the years between the championships, when Wade carried some subpar teams to the playoffs despite weak rosters around him. Every member of the Heat’s glory years, from Jason Williams and Udonis Haslem to Ray Allen and James Jones, can be associated with the roaring Miami crowds decked out in white – with this slogan connecting it all.
5. “Trust the Process” – 2013-present Philadelphia 76ers
This must be the most controversial selection on this list, but it should be a no-brainer. “Trust the Process” was coined sometime around 2013, when the Philadelphia 76ers hired Sam Hinkie to be their new GM. Hinkie started a multi-year “process” to bring the Sixers from mediocrity down to the bottom of the league, with the hope to eventually rise all the way to the top. The “process” was simple, on its face: lose as many games as possible, trade all quality players for younger guys and draft picks, and continue to land high draft picks until some of them pan out as stars. Unfortunately for Hinkie, his tank job, which saw Philly endure arguably the worst three-year stretch in NBA history (the Sixers won just 47 games over that span), was widely criticized. Commissioner Adam Silver got tired of seeing Hinkie “game the system”, so to speak, so Silver stepped in and forced the Sixers to hire Jerry Colangelo as team president, essentially pushing Hinkie out the door and leading to his resignation. The irony, of course, is that as soon as Hinkie left, Philly finally got the number one pick and drafted a potential superstar in Ben Simmons – an opportunity they missed out on the previous year, when Karl-Anthony Towns was selected first and the Sixers only had the number three pick. Next season, Joel Embiid is expected to make his NBA debut after two years of injuries, and Dario Saric is expected to come over from Europe; both were lottery picks made by Hinkie. While Hinkie might never get the credit for Philadelphia’s future success with its young core, he surely deserves some of it. The Process didn’t disappear when Hinkie left; as seen at the 2016 NBA Draft, in addition to this delightful tribute, many Sixers fans will remember Hinkie as a hero. The Process lives on through those fans, Embiid, and Simmons – a real legacy for Hinkie and this slogan.
4. “All In” – 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers
The top four are pretty close, but “All In” loses some points just because of how cheesy the entire idea is – especially the shirts with “20,562” printed on them and the Nike “together” commercial released prior to the 2014-15 season. Despite the tackiness, this slogan really did represent the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers. After 52 years without a championship in three major North American sports (four, if the Columbus Blue Jackets are included), the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio needed this victory. With a super team on its way to being built in Golden State – even if the Warriors were to win the title and be considered an all-time great team already – Cleveland’s championship window may have been closing faster than anticipated. Everyone involved with the franchise, and probably nearly every person in the state of Ohio, desperately hoped and dreamed that LeBron and the Cavs could pull off the feat. That’s why they were truly “all in”. Even the players thought that way, with a special championship trophy puzzle that represented their unity and that everyone mattered. The odds were stacked against Cleveland pulling it off, but somehow, James summoned the NBA Finals performance of a lifetime, and his Cavaliers teammates helped him do the impossible. Due to one of the most memorable championships in NBA history, with the motto becoming a part of the team and the city’s identity, “All In” has to rank this high.
3. “We the North” – 2014-present Toronto Raptors
Late in the 2013-14 season, the Toronto Raptors launched a marketing campaign centered on this slogan. Although that original commercial said “We, the North” as opposed to the version without the comma, “We the North” became wildly popular with fans as a Twitter hashtag and chant during games. The Raptors went on to have the best three-year span in the history of the franchise, making the playoffs in each of those years. It all came together last year, when Toronto broke its team wins record for the third consecutive season, eventually making the Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. What does all this have to do with the slogan? Well, “We the North” is not only a symbol of success for the Raptors, but it represents hope for Canadian fans. Normally, Toronto is the outsider team – the only non-American NBA team, infamous for losing stars, either in free agency or because of a trade demand. Nobody wants to play in the cold, in a foreign country, the thinking goes. But “We the North” is all about embracing that this team is different, uniting Raptors fans, and taking pride in where the team and its fan base comes from. In this time period, the Raptors have re-signed both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, their two best players and only All-Stars. The fans have been better than ever, with some even showing up at Toronto’s road games across the United States. The Raps have proven to be Canada’s team, not just Toronto’s. Their fans have embraced the “We the North” mantra, as it allows them to finally stop pretending that the Raptors are just like any other team, and instead enjoy their uniqueness.
2. “Grit ‘n’ Grind” – 2011-present Memphis Grizzlies
This phrase was likely first used to describe the Memphis Grizzlies back in February of 2011, when Tony Allen said it in a post-game interview. Allen is undoubtedly the top symbol of the “Grit ‘n’ Grind” movement, with the Grizzlies’ long-time core of Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol right behind him. The four players have been with the team for six playoff runs now, during which they’ve had mixed results. They upset a top-seeded San Antonio Spurs team in 2011 and made the Western Conference Finals in 2013. But they also lost in the first round in three different years, including last season, when half of Memphis’s rotation players were hurt and the Grizz didn’t win a single playoff game. But even if this team has run its course and has nothing left to offer, the slogan holds true: the Grizzlies will keep grinding. Throughout the years, through all of the ups and downs, this is what Memphis stands for. Everything about this era of the Grizzlies leads back to hustle, heart, toughness, and sheer effort. Those things define their identity. That’s what “Grit ‘n’ Grind” is all about, and that’s why the motto is so appropriate for this team.
1. “We Believe” – 2007 Golden State Warriors
Ah, the unforgettable 2006-07 “We Believe” Warriors. The team that pulled off the ultimate upset, beating a number one seed, the 67-15 Dallas Mavericks. The team that Stephen Jackson, who was arguably its second best player, recently claimed could beat the 2015-16 edition of the Warriors – the group that now holds the all-time record for regular season wins. Golden State had the most passionate fans in the NBA that year, with an even rowdier crowd than it has now, despite only finishing with a regular season record of 42-40. That might have been due to the fact that the team hadn’t made the playoffs in the past 12 seasons before 2007. The Warriors were certainly not better than the Mavs that year in terms of talent, execution, defensive discipline, or any measurable statistic. That was proven when they won just a single game against the Utah Jazz – a solid but unspectacular team – in the next round. But the Dubs believed they were better. That’s why Jackson’s quote is perfect – it’s all about belief. Ambition. Dreams. These things are important for the fan base of such a struggling franchise. That entire marvelous playoff run was a dream, and it was powered by those two words: We believe. “We” stood for unity, and “believe” represented a determined mindset that went beyond the X’s and O’s of basketball. No slogan from the past decade fit a team better than “We Believe” fit that special 2007 Golden State squad.
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