NBA Team Color Codes

The NBA’s 30 teams run on a tighter color range than most people expect.

Black, blue and red carry the league, with purple, gold and teal doing the work of standing out. This NBA team color codes guide lists every team’s official colors with exact HEX, RGB and Pantone values, sorted by conference and division, and links out to each team’s full breakdown.

Every hex value below was pulled from official NBA logo files and cross-checked against Pantone references for the current season. Codes shift when a franchise rebrands, so treat this as a living reference and re-check before any print run where an exact match matters.

What Are the Official Color Codes for All 30 NBA Teams?

All 30 NBA teams carry an official color palette, and most lean on two or three primary colors drawn from black, blue, red, purple and gold. The table below shows each team’s primary color with its hex code. Full RGB and Pantone values sit under each division further down.

Color is not decoration here. A University of Loyola, Maryland study found color lifts brand recognition by up to 80%, which is why a franchise guards its exact hex triplet as hard as its logo.

The Golden State Warriors show the stakes. Statista pegged the Warriors at $800 million in revenue in 2024, the most of any NBA franchise, and that blue-and-gold identity is stamped on every piece of it.

Team	Division	Primary HEX
Atlanta Hawks	Southeast	`#E03A3E`
Boston Celtics	Atlantic	`#007A33`
Brooklyn Nets	Atlantic	`#000000`
Charlotte Hornets	Southeast	`#1D1160`
Chicago Bulls	Central	`#CE1141`
Cleveland Cavaliers	Central	`#860038`
Dallas Mavericks	Southwest	`#00538C`
Denver Nuggets	Northwest	`#0E2240`
Detroit Pistons	Central	`#C8102E`
Golden State Warriors	Pacific	`#1D428A`
Houston Rockets	Southwest	`#CE1141`
Indiana Pacers	Central	`#002D62`
Los Angeles Clippers	Pacific	`#C8102E`
Los Angeles Lakers	Pacific	`#552583`
Memphis Grizzlies	Southwest	`#5D76A9`
Miami Heat	Southeast	`#98002E`
Milwaukee Bucks	Central	`#00471B`
Minnesota Timberwolves	Northwest	`#0C2340`
New Orleans Pelicans	Southwest	`#0C2340`
New York Knicks	Atlantic	`#006BB6`
Oklahoma City Thunder	Northwest	`#007AC1`
Orlando Magic	Southeast	`#0077C0`
Philadelphia 76ers	Atlantic	`#006BB6`
Phoenix Suns	Pacific	`#1D1160`
Portland Trail Blazers	Northwest	`#E03A3E`
Sacramento Kings	Pacific	`#5A2D81`
San Antonio Spurs	Southwest	`#C4CED4`
Toronto Raptors	Atlantic	`#CE1141`
Utah Jazz	Northwest	`#002B5C`
Washington Wizards	Southeast	`#002B5C`

A note on reliability: the NBA doesn’t publish one public master brand book, so these values come from logo files plus Pantone cross-checks. Where a team hasn’t published an exact CMYK build, converting from the Pantone chip is the safe route.

How Are NBA Team Colors Grouped by Conference and Division?

The NBA splits its 30 teams into two conferences, Eastern and Western, each holding three divisions of five. Grouping colors this way matches how fans and rivalries actually line up. Every team below gets its full primary code set, with a link to its dedicated color page.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics. Celtics Green #007A33 is one of the most recognizable primaries in sports. Gold and a warm brown round out the parquet-era identity.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Celtics Green	`#007A33`	0, 122, 51	PMS 356 C
Celtics Gold	`#BA9653`	186, 150, 83	PMS 874 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	n/a
White	`#FFFFFF`	255, 255, 255	n/a

Brooklyn Nets. Pure black and white, nothing else. Stripped to a monochrome scheme with the 2012 move from New Jersey, and it still reads sharp on court.

Color	Swatch	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Black		`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C
White		`#FFFFFF`	255, 255, 255	n/a

New York Knicks. Knicks Blue #006BB6 and orange #F58426, pulled straight off the New York City flag.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Knicks Blue	`#006BB6`	0, 107, 182	PMS 293 C
Knicks Orange	`#F58426`	245, 132, 38	PMS 165 C
Silver	`#BEC0C2`	190, 192, 194	Cool Gray 5 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

Philadelphia 76ers. Blue #006BB6 and red #ED174C over navy. The red-white-blue nods to the 13 colonies and the Declaration of Independence.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Blue	`#006BB6`	0, 107, 182	PMS 293 C
Red	`#ED174C`	237, 23, 76	PMS 199 C
Navy	`#002B5C`	0, 43, 92	PMS 289 C
Silver	`#C4CED4`	196, 206, 212	PMS 877 C

Toronto Raptors. Red #CE1141, black, silver and gold. Red and white tie back to Canada’s national colors.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Red	`#CE1141`	206, 17, 65	PMS 200 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C
Silver	`#A1A1A4`	161, 161, 164	Cool Gray 8 C
Gold	`#B4975A`	180, 151, 90	PMS 872 C

Central Division

Chicago Bulls. Bulls Red #CE1141 and black, unchanged in spirit since 1966. The Jordan era made this two-color set globally famous.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Bulls Red	`#CE1141`	206, 17, 65	PMS 200 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C
White	`#FFFFFF`	255, 255, 255	n/a

Cleveland Cavaliers. Wine #860038 and gold #FDBB30 over navy and black. The wine-and-gold is a Cleveland original, close to unique in the league.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Cavaliers Wine	`#860038`	134, 0, 56	PMS 209 C
Cavaliers Navy	`#041E42`	4, 30, 66	PMS 282 C
Cavaliers Gold	`#FDBB30`	253, 187, 48	PMS 1235 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

Detroit Pistons. Red #C8102E, royal blue #1D42BA and navy. The team returned to a cleaner red-white-blue in 2017.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Red	`#C8102E`	200, 16, 46	PMS 186 C
Royal Blue	`#1D42BA`	29, 66, 186	PMS 7687 C
Gray	`#BEC0C2`	190, 192, 194	Cool Gray 5 C
Navy	`#002D62`	0, 45, 98	PMS 282 C

Indiana Pacers. Pacers Blue #002D62 and yellow #FDBB30, drawn from the Indiana state flag.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Pacers Blue	`#002D62`	0, 45, 98	PMS 282 C
Yellow	`#FDBB30`	253, 187, 48	PMS 123 C
Silver	`#BEC0C2`	190, 192, 194	Cool Gray 5 C

Milwaukee Bucks. Good Land Green #00471B, cream #EEE1C6 and blue. The green has been constant since the franchise arrived in 1968.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Good Land Green	`#00471B`	0, 71, 27	PMS 350 C
Cream City Cream	`#EEE1C6`	238, 225, 198	PMS 468 C
Great Lakes Blue	`#0077C0`	0, 119, 192	PMS 2935 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

Southeast Division

Atlanta Hawks. Hawks Red #E03A3E, volt green #C1D32F and charcoal. The volt green is a genuinely rare accent across pro basketball.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Hawks Red	`#E03A3E`	225, 68, 52	PMS 186 C
Volt Green	`#C1D32F`	196, 214, 0	PMS 382 C
Hawks Charcoal	`#26282A`	38, 40, 42	PMS 426 C
White	`#FFFFFF`	255, 255, 255	n/a

Charlotte Hornets. Hornets Purple #1D1160 and teal #00788C. That teal-purple combo basically defined NBA fashion in the early 1990s.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Hornets Purple	`#1D1160`	29, 17, 96	PMS 275 C
Teal	`#00788C`	0, 120, 140	PMS 3145 C
Gray	`#A1A1A4`	161, 161, 164	Cool Gray 8 C

Miami Heat. Red #98002E, yellow #F9A01B and black, a stylized flame palette. The Vice City Edition later made pink-and-blue a second signature.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Red	`#98002E`	152, 0, 46	PMS 202 C
Yellow	`#F9A01B`	249, 160, 27	PMS 137 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black C

Orlando Magic. Magic Blue #0077C0, silver and black. The star-speckled blue has anchored the brand since the 1989 debut.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Magic Blue	`#0077C0`	0, 119, 192	PMS 2935 C
Silver	`#C4CED4`	196, 206, 211	PMS 877 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

Washington Wizards. Navy #002B5C, red #E31837 and silver, a red-white-blue set tied to the nation’s capital.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Navy Blue	`#002B5C`	0, 43, 92	PMS 289 C
Red	`#E31837`	227, 24, 55	PMS 186 C
Silver	`#C4CED4`	196, 206, 212	PMS 877 C

Western Conference

Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets. Midnight Blue #0E2240, sunshine yellow #FEC524 and Flatirons red. The current mountain-and-mining palette dates to the 2018 rebrand.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Midnight Blue	`#0E2240`	13, 34, 64	PMS 289 C
Sunshine Yellow	`#FEC524`	254, 197, 36	PMS 123 C
Flatirons Red	`#8B2131`	139, 33, 49	PMS 202 C
Skyline Blue	`#1D428A`	29, 66, 138	PMS 7687 C

Minnesota Timberwolves. Midnight Blue #0C2340, lake blue #236192 and aurora green #78BE20. An earthy northern set built around two blues.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Midnight Blue	`#0C2340`	12, 35, 64	PMS 289 C
Lake Blue	`#236192`	35, 97, 146	PMS 647 C
Moonlight Grey	`#9EA2A2`	158, 162, 162	PMS 422 C
Aurora Green	`#78BE20`	120, 190, 32	PMS 368 C

Oklahoma City Thunder. Thunder Blue #007AC1, sunset orange #EF3B24 and navy. Adopted in 2008, and now the palette of the reigning champions.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Thunder Blue	`#007AC1`	0, 125, 195	PMS 285 C
Sunset	`#EF3B24`	239, 59, 36	PMS Warm Red C
Blue	`#002D62`	0, 45, 98	PMS 282 C
Yellow	`#FDBB30`	253, 187, 48	PMS 1235 C

Portland Trail Blazers. Red #E03A3E and black. A clean two-color scheme behind the pinwheel logo that stands for a five-on-five game.

Color	Swatch	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Red		`#E03A3E`	224, 58, 62	PMS 186 C
Black		`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

Utah Jazz. Navy #002B5C, green #00471B and yellow #F9A01B. The mountain-themed palette references the Wasatch range. Jazz branding shifts often, so re-check before print.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Navy	`#002B5C`	0, 43, 92	PMS 289 C
Green	`#00471B`	0, 71, 27	PMS 350 C
Yellow	`#F9A01B`	249, 160, 27	PMS 137 C

Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors. Warriors Blue #1D428A and golden yellow #FFC72C, drawn from the California state colors and the Bay Bridge crest.

Color	Swatch	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Warriors Blue		`#1D428A`	29, 66, 138	PMS 7687 C
Golden Yellow		`#FFC72C`	255, 199, 44	PMS 123 C

Los Angeles Clippers. Red #C8102E, blue #1D428A, silver and black. A straightforward red-white-blue reset with the 2024 rebrand.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Red	`#C8102E`	200, 16, 46	PMS 186 C
Blue	`#1D428A`	29, 66, 138	PMS 7687 C
Silver	`#BEC0C2`	190, 192, 194	Cool Gray 5 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers Purple #552583 and gold #FDB927. Owner Jack Kent Cooke picked the purple, and it was originally called Forum Blue.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Lakers Purple	`#552583`	85, 37, 131	PMS 526 C
Gold	`#FDB927`	253, 185, 39	PMS 123 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black C

Phoenix Suns. Purple #1D1160, orange #E56020 and black. The purple-orange desert set is one of a kind in the NBA.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Purple	`#1D1160`	29, 17, 96	PMS 275 C
Orange	`#E56020`	229, 95, 32	PMS 159 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black C
Gray	`#63727A`	99, 113, 122	PMS 431 C

Sacramento Kings. Purple #5A2D81, gray and black. Purple has led the brand since the Kings moved to Sacramento in 1985.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Purple	`#5A2D81`	91, 43, 130	PMS 268 C
Gray	`#63727A`	99, 113, 122	PMS 431 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks. Royal Blue #00538C, navy and silver. The blue-and-silver deliberately mirrors the Dallas Cowboys.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Royal Blue	`#00538C`	0, 83, 140	PMS 2388 C
Navy Blue	`#002B5E`	0, 43, 94	PMS 289 C
Silver	`#B8C4CA`	187, 196, 202	PMS 877 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

Houston Rockets. Red #CE1141, black and silver. The red arrived with the 1971 move from San Diego and never left.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Red	`#CE1141`	206, 17, 65	PMS 200 C
Black	`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C
Silver	`#C4CED4`	196, 206, 211	PMS 877 C

Memphis Grizzlies. Beale Street Blue #5D76A9, navy and yellow. Beale Street blue honors the city’s blues-music heritage.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Beale Street Blue	`#5D76A9`	93, 118, 169	PMS 652 C
Midnight Navy	`#12173F`	18, 23, 63	PMS 289 C
Yellow	`#F5B112`	245, 177, 18	PMS 123 C
Gray	`#707271`	112, 114, 113	PMS 424 C

New Orleans Pelicans. Navy #0C2340, red #C8102E and gold #85714D, pulled from the New Orleans city flag.

Color	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Pelicans Navy	`#0C2340`	0, 22, 65	PMS 289 C
Pelicans Red	`#C8102E`	225, 58, 62	PMS 186 C
Pelicans Gold	`#85714D`	180, 151, 90	PMS 872 C

San Antonio Spurs. Silver #C4CED4 and black. One of the simplest and most durable schemes in the league, unchanged in feel since 1976.

Color	Swatch	HEX	RGB	Pantone
Silver		`#C4CED4`	196, 206, 211	PMS 877 C
Black		`#000000`	0, 0, 0	PMS Black 6 C

What’s the Difference Between HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone?

These four formats describe the same color for different jobs. HEX and RGB drive screens, CMYK drives print, and Pantone locks an exact physical match. Pick the format that matches where the color is going to live.

HEX is the six-digit web code like #552583. A hex triplet is just RGB written in shorthand, and it runs in the sRGB color space for websites, CSS and anything digital.
RGB is red, green and blue channels from 0 to 255, like rgb(85,37,131). Same screen use as HEX. Handy when a tool wants the channels split out.
CMYK is cyan, magenta, yellow and black, the four inks a press lays down. Use it for anything on paper: posters, programs, flyers.
Pantone (PMS) is a spot-color system where each color has a fixed recipe. Merch shops and pro printers use it so the purple on a jersey is the same purple every run.

Format	Best for	Example
HEX	Web, CSS, apps	`#007A33`
RGB	Screens, editing tools	0, 122, 51
CMYK	Print, paper goods	100, 0, 91, 27
Pantone	Merch, apparel	PMS 356 C

Rule of thumb: design in HEX or RGB for screens, then hand your printer the Pantone chip for anything physical. Converting HEX straight to CMYK without checking the Pantone can shift a color more than you would expect, especially with reds and purples.

What Are the Most Common Colors in the NBA?

Black, blue and red dominate NBA identities. Counting each of the 30 teams’ primary palettes, black appears most often, with blue close behind and red in third. Purple, gold, teal and green are the standouts that break the pattern.

The Los Angeles Lakers built a global brand on the rarer end of that range. Purple and gold read as luxury, and it worked: Luka Doncic’s Lakers jersey topped the NBA’s best-selling list for 2024-25, the first international player ever to lead it (NBA.com).

Here’s the count from the tables above. A team is tallied once per color family if that color sits in its core primary set. White is left out, since nearly every team carries it as a base.

Black: about 18 teams
Blue / Navy: about 17 teams
Red: about 12 teams
Silver / Gray: about 10 teams
Yellow / Gold: about 9 teams
Green: 5 teams
Purple: 4 teams
Orange: 3 teams
Teal: 1 team (Charlotte, essentially alone)

The Rarest Colors on the Court

Teal survives with the Charlotte Hornets and almost nowhere else in a primary role. Wine belongs to Cleveland, volt green to Atlanta, and cream to Milwaukee. If you want a color no other NBA team leans on, that short list is where to look.

How Do You Use NBA Team Colors in a Design Project?

Match the code format to your output, then confirm against a physical reference before printing at scale. HEX handles web and digital, CMYK covers standard print, and Pantone locks merchandise and apparel where an off shade gets noticed instantly.

The money behind that precision is real. The licensed sports merchandise market hit $35.75 billion in 2024 (Straits Research), and roughly 85% of consumers name color as a top reason they buy a product. Get the hex wrong and you are literally leaving recognition on the table.

Screen work: use the HEX or RGB values, straight from the tables above.
Print work: build from CMYK, but verify against the Pantone chip first.
Merch and apparel: go Pantone-first, since that is what Nike and licensed printers match against.

Nike has been the league’s official on-court outfitter since a deal signed in 2015 (Statista), which is why current jersey colors track the exact franchise Pantone values rather than loose approximations. Adidas held that role before them.

If you’re pairing a team color with a supporting scheme, it helps to know how the underlying families behave. There’s solid reference on what blue signals and how its shades shift, since so many teams live in that space, and the same for how red reads across contexts, the third most common NBA primary.

For the purple-heavy teams, the Lakers, Kings, Suns and Hornets, a walk through what purple communicates in design keeps your accents intentional. The gold that pairs with it has its own reference on gold tones worth a look.

For anything beyond a straight team recreation, a fan site, a watch-party invite, a City Edition-style graphic, you’ll usually want a fuller supporting palette than the two or three official colors. Browsing a set of palettes that already work together is faster than building one from scratch and keeps your accents from clashing with the team’s core.

One legal note. Team names, logos and color schemes are trademarks of their clubs and the National Basketball Association. These codes are fine for reference, personal projects and fan work, but commercial use, merchandise and official-looking branding need proper licensing. Check the rights before you sell anything.

NBA Team Colors: Common Questions

How many teams are in the NBA, and how many color palettes is that?

The NBA has 30 teams, split evenly across the Eastern and Western Conferences. Each carries its own official palette, so there are 30 distinct color sets, though most cluster around a shared core of black, blue, red, gold and white.

What’s the most common color in the NBA?

Black is the most common primary, sitting in roughly 18 of the 30 teams’ core palettes, from Brooklyn and San Antonio to Chicago and Miami. Blue follows close behind, and red rounds out the top three.

What are the colors of the current NBA champion?

The Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 title, beating the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game Finals after a 68-14 regular season. Their palette is Thunder Blue #007AC1, sunset orange #EF3B24, navy #002D62 and yellow #FDBB30.

Where do I get the exact HEX and Pantone codes for one specific team?

Each team’s full code set, HEX, RGB and Pantone, is listed under its division above, and most teams link to a dedicated color page on the team name. Click through for the complete breakdown, including alternate and City Edition jersey codes.

Why do so many teams share the same hex codes?

A handful of Pantone reds and blues have become de facto basketball standards. PMS 186 C red and PMS 289 C navy each show up on several teams, which is why Detroit, Washington and New Orleans can look like they’re using the same red. They basically are.

Every value above reflects the current season and gets re-checked each offseason for rebrands, new City Edition drops and franchise updates. Codes are provided for reference; official marks remain the property of the NBA and its clubs.

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Bogdan Sandu

Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008.

Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.

His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.

He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.