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”.
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