The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat have two of the most iconic logos in NBA history. The former’s legendary leprechaun and the latter’s flaming basketball have long struck fear throughout the rest of the league, and this offseason, both of them have been in the headlines once again.
This discussion of NBA logo redesigns showcases how the league continues to evolve while maintaining its rich history.
Iconic Heat and Celtics Logos Remain Untouched, Even If Their Rosters Don’t
The Celtics thought they had their dynamic two-man pairing for years to come in the form of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. However, when they started touting Brown’s name around as a potential makeweight in a blockbuster deal for wantaway Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2024 Finals MVP was officially rubbed up the wrong way. Even though Boston missed out on the Greek Freak, Brown made his feelings clear: He wanted to leave TD Garden, and he got his wish as he headed to a newly star-studded Philadelphia 76ers, with Paul George and a slew of draft picks heading in the opposite direction.
Giannis did still move, but not to the Celtics. Miami finally landed the star it had chased for years when they acquired Giannis and Bobby Portis from the Bucks, with online betting sites immediately considering their hopes within the Eastern Conference completely transformed. Online basketball odds providers have cut prices on the Heat topping the Conference down to +1200, while the Celtics remain a +550 shot despite the departure of Brown.
One place where both Boston and Miami haven’t made a change in quite some time, however, is with the iconic logos they wear on their chests. The same cannot be said for these three, all of which have recently overhauled their identities in a bid to transform their own fortunes. Here are the three NBA teams to have updated their logos most recently.
Minnesota Timberwolves — June 2026
Minnesota’s mark since 2017 showed a howling wolf superimposed on a basketball beneath a North Star, in midnight blue, aurora green, lake blue, and frost white. Under new owners, Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, and after nearly a year of fan consultation, the Timberwolves unveiled their first rebrand in nine seasons. The wolf-and-ball concept stayed, but pine trees joined the background, and the palette brightened toward the 1989-96 scheme, with a new “Tree-M” secondary logo debuting alongside it.
On the court, the Wolves have become one of the NBA’s major players. They ended a 20-year wait for a postseason series win back in 2024, knocking off both the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets before running into Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals. The following year, they mounted a similar run, beating both of the Western Conference’s biggest names in the form of the Lakers and the Warriors before once again falling short, this time to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Last season. Minnesota went 49-33, before beating Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets once again in round one, and then falling to San Antonio in the semis. But despite yet another disappointing end, the core remains elite. Anthony Edwards is a genuine superstar, supported by defensive powerhouse Rudy Gobert. LaMelo Ball has arrived in a blockbuster from the Charlotte Hornets, ensuring that the Wolves should compete once again next season, new logo and all.
Houston Rockets — June 2026
Houston’s logo since 2003 centered on a red-and-silver “R”/rocket-ship mark, worn mostly in white, red, and black. Fans had campaigned for years to bring back the “ketchup and mustard” scheme from the 1994-95 title runs, and vice chairman Patrick Fertitta admitted the front office finally “heard our fans.”
What does that color scheme’s pull say about a look retired in 2003 still commanding a two-decade campaign? The rebrand recolored the “R” in red and yellow inside a triangular, NASA-inspired badge flanked by two stars, and promoted the “Dunkstronaut” to full secondary-logo duty. Now, the Toyota Center faithful will be hoping that the rebrand finally brings some success on court.
The Rockets have reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, with both of those postseason runs ending in the very first round. Last season, their bitter end came at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers as LeBron James rolled back the years to mastermind a 4-2 series win, while the Rockets lamented an ill-timed injury to superstar Kevin Durant.
The offseason since has been measured: Fred VanVleet opted in to stay, Tari Eason was re-signed, veterans Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović arrived for depth, and Dorian Finney-Smith was shipped to Charlotte. Will that continuity yield a genuine deep run next season? Only time will tell.
Utah Jazz — August 2025
Utah’s prior look, from 2022-23, leaned into black, “highlighter” yellow, and white — a jarring departure that fans never embraced. As part of a two-year rollout announced in June 2024, the Jazz phased yellow out entirely, restoring purple as their cornerstone color. The final piece landed with the 2025-26 uniforms: the Jazz Note redrawn in a single shade of purple, cleaner lines, the wordmark dropped from beneath it, matching the new Mountain Purple, Midnight Black, and Sky-Blue identity.
But while fans may well have gotten their wish in terms of the logo on their team’s jersey, they certainly haven’t gotten their wish when it comes to the actual action. The Jazz have managed just 39 wins combined over the last two seasons, finishing second-last in the West both times. No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson has fans dreaming of a reversal of fortunes, but a genuine challenge seems light-years away.