ABA Logos
The American Basketball Association (ABA), a professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976, had a lasting impact on the sport. Throughout its nine-year run, the ABA featured a variety of unique and diverse logos that reflected the vibrant and innovative spirit of the league.
One of the most iconic ABA logos belonged to the Indiana Pacers. Their logo, introduced in 1967, featured a basketball with a streaking red, white, and blue streak behind it. This dynamic design represented the Pacers' fast-paced and exciting style of play. The logo became synonymous with the team and remains a beloved symbol of the ABA era.
The Denver Nuggets, known for their high-scoring offense, boasted a logo that perfectly captured their energetic approach to the game. Introduced in 1967, the Nuggets' logo featured a miner holding a pickaxe, representing Denver's rich history of gold mining. The logo's bold yellow and blue colors embodied the team's vibrant spirit and made it instantly recognizable.
The Kentucky Colonels, a team known for their success in the ABA, showcased a logo that paid homage to their namesake. The logo featured a stern-looking colonel wearing a hat and holding a basketball. The combination of the colonel's imposing presence and the basketball reflected the team's strong leadership and commitment to the game.
The New York Nets, a franchise that eventually became part of the NBA, sported a logo that showcased the team's connection to the city. The logo featured a basketball with a net-shaped "NY" inside it. The clean and straightforward design represented the Nets' no-nonsense approach to the game and resonated with fans in the Big Apple.
The ABA's innovative spirit was also evident in other teams' logos, like the Carolina Cougars, the Dallas Chaparrals, and the Pittsburgh Condors. Each team had its unique logo that captured the essence of their respective cities and showcased the league's commitment to fostering a distinctive basketball experience.
While the ABA may be a thing of the past, its legacy lives on through the iconic logos representing the teams of that era. These logos not only symbolize the creativity and flair of the league but also serve as a reminder of the ABA's significant contributions to the development of professional basketball as we know it today.
ABA Products
Anaheim Amigos
A black Mexican hat on a orange with black trim basketball next to scripted wordmark "ANAHEIM AMIGOS" in black.
Baltimore Claws
Yellow lobster claws grabbing a ABA basketball inside a green letter "C." Wordmark above and below the letter "C" "BALTIMORE CLAWS."
Dallas Chaparrals
The Dallas Chaparrals featured logo is a blue chaparral bird running across the state of Texas dribbling a red, white and blue basketball. A wordmark "CHAPARRALS" in red.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets first logo was "Maxie the Miner". The red, blue and white miner was a "Yukon Cornelius" looking prospector who was giddy, leaping in the air, holding a ABA basketball and a prospecting pick…
Denver Rockets
The final logo for the Rockets was a yellow and purple rocket dribbling a basketball over rocky mountains with a purple circle and a wordmark "DENVER ROCKETS" in purple.
Houston Mavericks
A bull with steam coming out of both sides of his nose leaping behind an ABA basketball. On the red, white and blue basketball is the wordmark "HOUSTON MAVERICKS" and "ABA" in white.
Indiana Pacers
The original Pacer logo is a white hand and a yellow basketball inside a blue "P."
Kentucky Colonels
Blue letters "KC" with a ABA basketball in the middle of the letter "C."
Los Angeles Stars
Wordmark "LOS ANGELES" in blue streaking over a ABA basketball behind a scripted wordmark "STARS" in red with blue outline.
Memphis Pros
A ABA red, white and blue basketball with a wordmark "MEMPHIS PROS" in blue encircling the basketball over a white star field on a blue background.
Memphis Sounds
The letter "S" shaped into a music note on a red circle background with a scripted wordmark below in white with red trim "Memphis Sounds."
Memphis Tams
A tam o'shanter-style hat in white, green and gold. Wordmark below in green "The Memphis Tams."
Miami Floridians
A orange headed man dribbling a ball across the state of Florida in a circle. Wordmark "MIAMI FLORIDIANS" in orange around the circle.
Minnesota Muskies
A muskie fish on a blue circle with a wordmark "MINNESOTA MUSKIES" in white.
Minnesota Pipers
Wordmark "PIPERS" in red on a blue basketball with wordmark MINNESOTA" in blue written above and "ABA BASKETBALL" below in blue.
New Jersey Americans
The original Americans logo is a red, white and blue shield with ABA basketball in the center of the shield and at the top a wordmark "N. J. AMERICAN" in white.
New Orleans Buccaneers
A pirate holding a sword and dribbling a basketball with a wordmark "NEW ORLEANS BUCCANEERS" in blue.
New York Nets
In 1972, the Nets opted to continue the previous logo with a red, white and blue basketball, much like the one the ABA used during games. They did retain the previous main logo, blue wordmark…
Oakland Oaks
An oak nut dribbling a basketball on a yellow background circle with wordmark "OAKLAND OAKS" in green.
Pittsburgh Condors
A red condor with a wordmark "condors" in yellow on his chest perched on a ABA red, white and blue basketball. A wordmark "pittsburgh" in black above on a yellow circle.
Pittsburgh Pipers
Wordmark "PIPERS" in white with orange in-line on blue shade and a ABA red, white and blue basketball with "PITTSBURGH" written on top on a shield. ABA logo on the bottom.
San Antonio Spurs
In 1976, the San Antonio Spurs moved to the NBA. Their new logo consisted of the wordmark "SPURS" in black with the "U" looking like a silver spur with silver trim. A wordmark "SAN ANTONIO"…
San Diego Conquistadors
A conquistador solider carrying a pickaxe charging with a ABA basketball. Wordmark "SAN DIEGO CONQUISTADORS" in black.
San Diego Sails
A green, blue and white sail with wordmark "SAN DIEGO sails" in blue and green. The wordmark is considered as the boat with the sail and a ABA basketball guiding the boat.
Spirits of St. Louis
The famous airplane flown solo by Charles Lindbergh under a wordmark script "Spirits of St Louis" in brown coming out of plane's tail.
Texas Chaparrals
A blue chaparral bird running across the state of Texas with a red, white and blue basketball. A wordmark "CHAPARRALS" in red.
Utah Stars
Wordmark "UTAH" in red with a blue outline streaking over a ABA basketball behind a scripted wordmark "STARS" in red with blue outline.
Washington Caps
Wordmark "Caps" in red written along side Capitol building. Additional wordmark "The Washington" in black about the "Caps" and "BASKETBALL CLUB" below in black.