Braves Primary Logo

The Buffalo Braves' primary logo history is a long and storied one. The team was founded in 1970 as the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) first expansion franchise in western New York. From their inception, the Buffalo Braves had a unique identity that set them apart from other teams of the era.

Their original logo featured an image of a Native American brave posed with a bow and arrow at his side, symbolizing strength and courage and paying homage to local indigenous tribes who once inhabited Western New York State. This design was used for two seasons before being replaced by another iconic emblem: an orange-and-blue buffalo head silhouette with white horns against a black background—a visual representation of both power and ferocity that perfectly encapsulated what it meant to be part of this new NBA franchise based out of Buffalo, NY.

This classic buffaloes head logo remained unchanged until 1978, when it was slightly modified to feature more detail on its face; however, it still maintained its overall look while becoming even more recognizable over time due to its consistent use throughout various media outlets such as television broadcasts or newspaper articles during those years leading up to the team's departure from Western New York in 1978 after just eight years playing professional basketball there. To this day, many fans fondly remember these logos, thanks not only for their symbolic meaning but also because they helped bring together communities across Upstate NY during some difficult times for our region’s economy back then.