The player in the NBA logo is Jerry West, and the league took 55 years to say so. Commissioner Adam Silver told the New York Times on June 12, 2024 that West inspired the silhouette (CBS Sports, 2024). Alan Siegel designed that Logoman mark in 1969, and beyond it each of the 30 teams carries its own primary emblem.
Team marks change on a different clock. The Chicago Bulls have used one logo since 1966. The Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves, meanwhile, both unveiled new primary logos in June 2026.
Who Designed the NBA Logo, and Who Is in the Silhouette?
Brand consultant Alan Siegel of Siegel+Gale designed the NBA logo in 1969. It's a white silhouette of a dribbling player set between red and blue panels, and the player is Jerry West. Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that on the record in June 2024.
Fans call the mark the Logoman. So does the league, in its own announcements.
Commissioner J. Walter Kennedy had turned to Siegel for the job that year (Siegel+Gale, 2026), and Siegel and his partner Bob Gale needed about 1 hour to design it (NPR, 2024). Siegel named West to the Los Angeles Times in 2010. Silver's confirmation came on June 12, 2024 (reported by CBS Sports).
One more figure gets passed around, $3 billion a year in licensing. Siegel+Gale (2026) is the one claiming it, so the number comes from the design firm itself.
How the Silhouette Was Chosen
Siegel phoned Dick Schaap, then managing editor of Sport magazine, and asked to go through its photo file. He landed on a Wen Roberts photograph of West dribbling, mostly because the pose was vertical and carried a sense of movement (CBS Sports, 2024, citing NBA.com).
The design team turned the photo into a white shape in motion and framed it with red and blue halves. Those halves echo the Major League Baseball logo the league wanted as a model.
Before 1969 the league had used several variations of a basketball-shaped logo (Siegel+Gale, 2026).
What the League Said, and When
For 55 years, nothing. In 2010 a league spokesman told the Los Angeles Times there was no record of who was in the logo, and then-Commissioner David Stern declined to say (Mental Floss; CBS Sports).
At the 2021 All-Star weekend, Silver said it had never been officially declared but that the figure looked a lot like West. On June 12, 2024, the day West died at 86, he went further and told the New York Times there had never been any doubt in his mind that West's image inspired it (CBS Sports, 2024).
West was never paid for the logo (NPR, 2024). He said on ESPN in 2017 that he would be happy if the NBA took him out of the logo (theScore).
Where the Sources Disagree
Who picked West is the first sticking point. West's 2011 memoir says Kennedy privately told him the logo was him and that Kennedy wanted it based on his likeness. Siegel told NBA.com in 2021 that he never designed the logo as being West (CBS Sports, 2024; theScore).
The baseball model has its own date problem. Creative Bloq dates Jerry Dior's MLB logo to 1968, while Siegel+Gale says MLB introduced it in 1969. The sources do not say whether the gap is design year versus launch year.
The 1969 creation year and the 2024 confirmation are settled. The photo's backstory is one account from the designer and another from West.
Which Logos Do the 30 NBA Teams Use Today?
Current primary logos run from 1966 (Chicago Bulls) to June 2026 (Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves). Eight of the 30 date from 2020 or later.
Release years come from ClutchPoints' team-by-team list (published June 2022; modified November 2026). Seven teams are corrected from team announcements tracked by SportsLogos.Net and NBA.com: Warriors (2019), Cavaliers (2022), Jazz (2022, recolored for 2025-26), Clippers (2024), Magic (2025), Rockets (2026) and Timberwolves (2026).
"Released" means the year the current version was unveiled. The Hornets' mark was unveiled in December 2013 and first worn in 2014-15 (SportsLogos.Net). The Lakers' 2001 and Celtics' 1996 dates mark revisions of designs that go back to 1967 and 1968 (ClutchPoints).
Eastern Conference
The oldest marks in the league sit in the East. The Bulls (1966) come first, then the Celtics (1996), with the Heat (1999) close behind.
Atlantic Division
| Team | Released | Emblem |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | 1996 | Leprechaun spinning a basketball |
| Brooklyn Nets | 2012 | Shield with a ball marked B |
| New York Knicks | 2011 | Ball with team lettering |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 2015 | Team name over a basketball |
| Toronto Raptors | 2020 | Basketball with claw marks |
Central Division
| Team | Released | Emblem |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bulls | 1966 | Bull head |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 2022 | Shield, sword removed |
| Detroit Pistons | 2017 | Team name over a basketball |
| Indiana Pacers | 2017 | Letter P with ball lines |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 2015 | Buck head |
Southeast Division
| Team | Released | Emblem |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | 2020 | Hawk head |
| Charlotte Hornets | 2013 | Hornet holding a basketball |
| Miami Heat | 1999 | Flaming ball through a hoop |
| Orlando Magic | 2025 | Basketball with a star trail |
| Washington Wizards | 2015 | Washington Monument and stars |
Western Conference
The newest marks are in the West. The Rockets (June 4, 2026) and Timberwolves (June 7, 2026) both unveiled new primary logos in the 2026 offseason.
Northwest Division
| Team | Released | Emblem |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | 2018 | Pickaxes and a mountain |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 2026 | Howling wolf, original blue and green |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 2008-09 | Shield with OKC |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 2017 | Pinwheel of red and black lines |
| Utah Jazz | 2022, recolored 2025 | Musical note J |
Pacific Division
| Team | Released | Emblem |
|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | 2019 | Bay Bridge |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 2024 | Sailing ship |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 2001 | Team name over a yellow basketball |
| Phoenix Suns | 2013 | Ball with sun rays |
| Sacramento Kings | 2016 | KINGS between a crown and a basketball |
Southwest Division
| Team | Released | Emblem |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Mavericks | 2017 | Horse |
| Houston Rockets | 2026 | Triangular mission-patch badge with R rocket icon |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 2018 | Bear head |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 2013 | Pelican with fleur-de-lis |
| San Antonio Spurs | 2017 | Wordmark with highlighted U |
How Old the Current Logos Are
14 teams still use a logo released in 2016 or earlier, everything from the Bulls through to the Kings. Another 8 teams arrived between 2017 and 2019.
The newest 8 date from 2020 or later, starting with the Hawks and Raptors and running up to the Rockets and Timberwolves.
What Colors and Typefaces Do NBA Logos Use?
You won't find a published NBA color sheet. The red, white and blue of the league logo get their exact values from third-party databases, while teams set their own palettes through reproduction guideline sheets.
League Blue and Red: Sources Disagree
Brand Color Code lists the league blue as hex #1D428A and Pantone 7687 C, and calls these closest matches rather than values stated in the NBA's brand guidelines (checked November 2026). Coloropedia pairs the same hex with Pantone 287 CP.
The hex agrees across both sites. The Pantone chip does not, which is the annoying part, so print work needs a source that names the chip.
Brand Color Code gives the red as #C8102E.
Team Palettes: Same Ink, Different Screen Values
US Team Colors cites each team's Reproduction and Usage Guideline Sheet for the Pelicans, Wizards, Raptors, Lakers, Hawks, Kings and Hornets. Pulling those sheets together with two other color sites shows an overlap.
Four teams (Pelicans, Wizards, Trail Blazers and Pistons) share a red that is listed as Pantone 186 C. Their hex values differ, though:
- #C8102E for the Pistons (Design Your Way, 2026)
- #E31837 for the Pelicans and Wizards (US Team Colors, 2026)
- #E03A3E for the Trail Blazers (Team Color Codes, 2026)
A hex value is a screen conversion of the print chip, and conversions vary by source. Match the Pantone chip for anything printed, and take the hex from the team's own SVG file for anything on screen.
Typefaces
Teams use custom typefaces for jersey lettering and wordmarks. The league's 75th anniversary mark set its number in the standard NBA Action typeface (SportsLogos.Net, 2021).
If you want more on the typefaces behind NBA lettering, it runs from team-specific fonts to the Finals script covered below.
Primary, Secondary and Event Logos in the NBA
Teams carry more than one logo. The primary is the main emblem, and secondary logos, alternates, wordmarks and stadium marks handle the smaller or more specialized jobs. On top of that, the league adds event logos for the Finals, All-Star Game, NBA Cup and anniversaries.
A Team Logo Family
SportsLogos.Net lists the Cavaliers' 2022 set as a primary logo, a dark-background version, five alternates, a wordmark from 2017 and a stadium logo from 2005. The pieces age at different rates.
The Kings' 2016 set paired a crown-and-ball primary with four secondary marks: a SAC city mark, a lion-and-ball mark, a lone crown and a lion crest (SportsLogos.Net, 2016).
Together these marks form a single visual identity that a team can scale from a jersey crest down to a social media avatar.
League Event Logos
The 2022 NBA Finals logo, unveiled April 13, 2022, brought back the script font used from 1986 to 1995 and from 2004 to 2017 (Sports Illustrated, 2022).
For the 75th anniversary, the Logoman was stretched into a diamond for 2021-22, unveiled July 7, 2021 (NBA, 2021). It was the first league-wide anniversary mark since 1996-97, when teams wore a gold NBA logo on their jerseys (SportsLogos.Net, 2021).
The Emirates NBA Cup logo from July 2024 set the league mark and wordmark beside the trophy and Emirates branding. The 2023 tournament logo had used red and blue bracket lines instead (SportsLogos.Net, 2024).
The 2026 All-Star Game logo in Los Angeles was redone to match the host Clippers' new look, with a script wordmark, a palm tree and a ball patterned like the glass exterior of the Intuit Dome (SportsLogos.Net, 2025). The 2027 Phoenix logo follows the same template with the Suns' font and sunburst (SportsLogos.Net, 2026).
For City Edition in 2026-27, an iridescent NBA logo and Swoosh or Jumpman mark the program's 10th season (SportsLogos.Net, 2026).
The Event Logo Template
Event logos all follow one build, so a new one reads as an NBA mark before anyone gets to the name. The league logo sits on the left and the event name on the right (SportsLogos.Net).
What changes each time is the host team's font and color scheme, which fill the location line, and the trophy or other event icon at the far right.
NBA Team Logo Changes From 2008 to 2026
Relocations and renamings drove most logo changes through 2014. Since then it's been arena moves and new owners, plus the occasional fan backlash.
Relocation and Name Changes, 2008 to 2014
Every change here followed a franchise move or a name change, not a design review.
| Team | Date | What changed | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 2008-09 | New blue and orange identity replaced the Seattle SuperSonics brand | Relocation from Seattle |
| Brooklyn Nets | 2012 | Blue, red and white logo with a 3D effect gave way to black and white | Move to Brooklyn |
| New Orleans Pelicans | January 2013 | Hornets name and branding retired | Name change |
| Charlotte Hornets | December 2013 | Bobcats branding dropped, hornet returned | Name reverted after 10 years |
The table draws on SportsLogos.Net team histories and ClutchPoints.
Rebrands From 2024 to 2026
| Team | Date | What changed | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Clippers | February 26, 2024 (worn from 2024-25) | Full set of logos, uniforms and court, in naval blue, ember red and Pacific blue | Move to the Intuit Dome |
| Utah Jazz | June 5, 2024 | Mountain Purple, Midnight Black and Sky Blue replace yellow, in a two-season rollout | Fan backlash to the 2022 look |
| Orlando Magic | June 3, 2025 | New logos, wordmarks and three new uniforms, with pinstripes returning | First primary-look update since 2008-09 |
| Houston Rockets | June 4, 2026 | Championship yellow returns, lowercase t comes back in the wordmark | Return to the 1994 and 1995 title look |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | June 7, 2026 | 1989-96 colors joined with 1996-2008 tree trim | New owners, first update since 2017-18 |
The Jazz, Magic, Rockets and Timberwolves all looked backward, reviving earlier colors, trim or lettering (SportsLogos.Net, 2026; Bleacher Report, 2025). The Clippers went the other way with a minimalist look that NSS Sports (2024) describes as part of a league-wide trend.
The Timberwolves' set leaked on the team's own website a week before the official reveal (SportsLogos.Net, 2026).
When a Rebrand Fails Fast
The Jazz polled fans on a redesign less than six months after launching their 2022 look (SportsLogos.Net, 2025).
The highlighter yellow Icon Edition was worn once in 2023-24 and then scrapped, and the team announced an entirely new set in June 2024. That's a clean case of a rebrand that failed within two seasons.
Reported Changes Not Yet Confirmed
As of November 5, 2026, a few reported changes still lack a team announcement.
Monumental Sports executives told The Athletic they are weighing Wizards uniform designs for 2027-28, when the Capital One Arena renovation is due to finish. They also said a major logo change is not expected within at least the next year (The Athletic, via Axios, 2026).
On the Raptors, ProLine Mockups reports the black-and-red Statement Edition will switch to purple and red for 2027-28. Purple was dropped from the main uniforms in the 2006-07 rebrand, though it returned in a 2024-25 Classic Edition (BlogTO, 2026).
ProLine Mockups had the Hawks in the same redesign group as the Rockets and Timberwolves. Two of those three delivered, while SportsLogos.Net says a planned red Statement uniform set for Atlanta has apparently been scrapped for this season.
Treat all of it as reports until the teams announce anything.
Which NBA Team Logos Rank Best Across Published Lists?
The Chicago Bulls logo ranks first in four of the five published rankings retrieved here, and the fifth places it third. Dean Wessel designed it (Chicago Sun-Times, 2015), and it is the only logo the franchise has used, dated to 1966 by ClutchPoints (2022).
| Source | Published | Top three | Bottom three |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grantland (Zach Lowe) | September 2015 | Bulls, Hornets, Heat | Thunder, Clippers, Pistons |
| Upper Hand composite | 2018, using 2017-18 logos | Bulls, Bucks, Celtics | Mavericks, Rockets, Magic (three of the bottom five) |
| ClutchPoints | June 2022 | Bulls, Hawks, Nuggets | Pistons, Nets, Pacers |
What the Top Logos Share
In Upper Hand's composite, 60% of the top 15 logos wrap the team name in or around a circle, against 0% of the bottom 15 (Upper Hand, 2018).
The author ties the pattern to the Gestalt principle of proximity. Elements enclosed in one shape read as a single memorable form, while a spread-out mark reads as many parts.
Color matters too. Apart from the Celtics, the top third of logos use only one or two colors, and just two teams (6%), the Bucks and Celtics, use green as a main color.
The UNI FastBreakStats blog gave the Bulls a bonus point for symmetry.
Where the Lists Disagree
The Bucks go 2nd (Upper Hand, 2018; NEIU Independent), 4th (Grantland) or 7th (ClutchPoints), depending on whose list you open. The Thunder finish dead last in Grantland's list and 25th in ClutchPoints'.
Then there are the Hornets, ranked 2nd (Grantland, 2015), 6th (NEIU Independent) and 8th (ClutchPoints, 2022). Same logo every time, and it lands anywhere from 2nd to 8th.
Why a Ranking Ages Badly
Logos change faster than lists. Upper Hand scored 2017-18 marks, and two of the three it placed among the five worst, the Rockets and Magic, were replaced in 2026 and 2025.
Grantland's 29th-ranked Clippers logo is gone as well. Its last-place Thunder logo is still the primary mark.
Upper Hand's own author says style and personal preference decide the final order. The page also gives two counts: its summary line says ten rankings were compiled, while the methodology section says eight, with each team's best and worst placement dropped before averaging.
Use a composite across several dated lists, and read any single list as one editor's taste.
How to Get and Use NBA Logo Files Legally
Get the file from the team's own site or from NBA Media Central. SVG works for screens and a vector file for print. Commercial use is licensed-only, and the download sites that hand out logo files cannot grant rights to them.
- Name the use: editorial, personal or commercial.
- Find the official file on the team's site or through NBA Media Central, which sits behind registration.
- Check that the logo matches the team's current release year.
- Pick the format: SVG for screens, a vector file for print.
- For commercial use, apply to NBA Properties before publishing anything.
Who Owns the Marks and What the Rules Say
The NBA name and logo and the team names and logos belong to NBA Properties, Inc. and the member teams, and the terms grant no license by implication (NBA.com Terms of Use, current version).
NBA Properties is the exclusive commercial licensor of those marks, and its license application tells applicants to allow a minimum of six weeks for review.
One documented limit shows up in NBA Properties retail license agreements that were filed publicly. The league logo may appear only alongside one or more team marks unless the league approves otherwise in writing. Filing dates vary, so confirm the current terms before relying on this.
Choosing a File Format
SVG is the right pick for web and screens. It's built on vector graphics, so a logo scales without quality loss and stays sharp at any size.
PNG is raster with a transparent background, and it's web-ready. Rasters soften when enlarged, though, which is the usual argument for choosing vector over raster for print. For print work, the vector formats are EPS, AI or PDF (CDNLogo lists all three).
Where Downloads Fall Short
SportsLogos.Net states that it does not own the logos it displays and cannot grant usage rights (SportsLogos.Net, 2026). Free-download sites such as logotyp.us mark their NBA files for personal and educational use and tell commercial users to verify with the NBA.
Getty Images says NBA imagery may not be licensed without prior approval (Getty Images collection restrictions), so a stock marketplace does not solve it either.
Files also go stale. A Rockets or Timberwolves logo saved before June 2026 shows a retired mark.
NBA Logos FAQ
Will the NBA replace the silhouette with Kobe Bryant?
No replacement has been announced. Fans pushed for a Bryant version after his death in 2020, but the 2021 anniversary logo kept West's outline (Yahoo Sports, 2021).
Silver said West felt the logo should stand for something bigger than him (CBS Sports, 2024).
Which NBA team has used the same logo the longest?
That would be the Chicago Bulls. Their bull dates to 1966 and has never been replaced. The Celtics' leprechaun traces to 1968 and the Lakers' look to 1967, but both were revised later, in 1996 and 2001 (ClutchPoints, 2022).
Is the WNBA logo based on the NBA logo?
In style, yes. Sports Business Journal (2016) reports the league settled on a mark close to the NBA's, with a female player's silhouette dribbling in red, white and blue.
The original slanted shield nodded to the NBA's mark (Winsidr, 2023), and a later redesign moved the player out of the frame.
Has the NBA logo changed since 1969?
Barely. SportsLogos.Net lists the original primary logo as running from 1969-70 through 2016-17, and KSL Sports (2021) reports that the 2017 tweak left the general look unchanged.
Which Sources to Trust When NBA Logo Details Conflict
Start with the team that issued the mark, meaning its announcement or guideline sheet. The league's licensing arm, NBA Properties, comes next, through a league release or its terms. Design firms and third-party databases rank below both, since neither holds the original files, and their claims get weighed by incentive.
Each step down adds a party with a reason to shade the record, such as a design firm promoting its own work.
The method has a limit. The league publishes no public master brand book (Design Your Way, 2026), so league-level colors have no primary document to check, and the official file becomes the evidence.
Dating is a catch too. A team's announcement fixes the unveiling date, which can differ from the first season the mark was worn.
Verified November 5, 2026. Any team announcement after that date overrides the year shown on every secondary page.