The Nets have a great history that spans almost 50 years and with two different basketball leagues. Starting in 1968 in the American Basketball Association, the Nets have moved back and forth in the northeast before merging into the National Basketball Association in 1976 and settling in the city of Brooklyn in 2012. Along with the moves, the Nets have made multiple changes to their logo history, which we will examine to see how it has evolved over the years.
The Nets began in New Jersey in 1967 and, at the time, were known as the Americans, a founding ABA member owned by Arthur J. Brown. The team was reasonably successful in their inaugural season, making the playoffs but ultimately being eliminated due to the inability to find a suitable playoff arena.
In true American spirit, the New Jersey Americans’ logo featured a red, white, and blue shield as its background, with the same-colored ABA basketball in the center. This logo and color scheme would set the tone for the franchise’s logo for years to come.
After that first season, the Americans attempted to remain in New Jersey, but ultimately found an arena. They ended up moving to the Big Apple and changed their name to the New York Nets, as it rhymed with other professional New York teams, such as the Mets and the Jets. Not to mention, the net is a vital part of the game of basketball itself!
Along with the name change, a logo change also occurred. Putting a huge, red “N.Y.” initials in the back and the Nets' name written in blue in fancy cursive handwriting. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the new logo was the generic basketball player positioned alongside the letters, which were sometimes used in conjunction with them.
This logo was used from 1969 to 1972, until it was altered in 1973. Keeping the same red initials, “N.Y.,” with the Nets written in cursive, the team decided to place them in front of a red, white, and blue-shaped basketball.
After a decade in New York, the team relocated to New Jersey in 1977, following its sale to Roy Boe. While most relocations came with major logo changed, the New Jersey Nets decided to stay close to the previous design. The Nets dropped the initials N.Y. but kept the cursive name “Nets” in the middle of a red, white, and blue shaped basketball, putting the team’s location above and the word “basketball” below.
However, this would not be the logo for long. To capture their new home state in 1978, the logo changed to a half-red, half-blue circle with the Nets' name in the middle, no longer in cursive writing. Above is a silhouette of the state of New Jersey with the wordmark “New Jersey” right next to it. For 12 years, this logo stood before another design was introduced.
In 1990, the new Nets logo featured a basketball that starts blue at the bottom, fades to white in the middle, and is red at the top. The basketball is cut off at the top with the team name, which featured the same color scheme and would serve as the logo the Nets would use until 1997.
In 1997, the team developed a logo design that would remain unchanged to date, one that would last for 15 years. The new Nets logo returned to its roots, reviving a shield logo similar to the one used by the New York Americans 30 years prior. The team name “Nets” is at the top encircling a basketball. Brand-new features included a basketball rim surrounding the logo and a new color scheme, featuring a darkened red and navy blue instead of the traditional royal blue.
In 2012, the franchise decided to head back to New York, moving to Brooklyn the most populous borough of New York City and taking on the name the Brooklyn Nets. Despite the location change, the team did stick to some of the previous examples of the logo. The shield design and “Nets” above the basketball were all kept, but a “B” was added to the basketball, with “Brooklyn” below. The major change came in the colors: the team departed from shades of the original colors for the first time in its history, adopting a black and white scheme.
The Brooklyn Nets have a rich history, marked by numerous logos throughout their 50-year team history. One of the original ABA teams, dating back to 1968, the Americans' primary logo has evolved significantly since its early days. Don’t miss the Brooklyn Nets alternate logos set and wordmark logos set, again, excellent designs and colors for each logo group. Now, the Nets' history will continue in the heart of Brooklyn.
