The Nets have one of the simplest names in the NBA. It is so generic. Sure, basketball is played using nets, but does that justify an entire team being named after it?
The history of how the team got its nickname though, is a lot more interesting than the actual moniker.
When the team was established and joined the ABA in 1967, they were called the New Jersey Amercians. But after moving to Long Island in 1968, the team changed their name to the Nets, primarily because it rhymed with the other local sports teams, the New York Mets and the New York Jets.
Though the name has stuck around despite its lack of originality, there was a time in the 1990s when the team thought about changing its name to the Swamp Dragons. That's right, the New Jersey Swamp Dragons was close to becoming an actual NBA team.
This wasn't a fan-inspired movement, either. The Nets thought of the idea and presented it to then-commissioner David Stern. Mockups of logos, courts and warmups were actually made in an effort to convince the rest of the NBA that the Nets should change their name to the Swamp Dragons.
From ESPN's Zach Lowe oral history of the possible name change (go read the whole thing though and check out some of the Swamp Dragon mockups ... it's fascinating):
JERRY COHEN, ONE OF THE NETS "SECAUCUS 7" OWNERSHIP GROUP: We were always asking: "How could we get more fans?" It was tough just getting to our games. We hired Jon Spoelstra to change our whole marketing effort.
SPOELSTRA: The Dragon came up right away, but we needed something to identify it locally. I was sitting in my office with Jim Lampariello, our vice president, and I just said, "Every time I look out the window here, I see this swamp. And every time I think of swamps, I think of swamp rats. What about that?"
He just said, "I don't think that's very nice. What about Swamp Dragons?" I loved it. Dragons are mythical, and fun.
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Spoelstra's next step: get O'Grady and the league's creative team on board.
O'GRADY: I thought he was kidding. We were totally off the map. It was off the charts wacky. But Jon was persistent. He would say, "We're the Nets. What is a net? It has no intrinsic value." And in the 1990s, this wasn't so insane. It was all about bright colors, and bold fashions. Alexander Julian designed those teal jerseys for the Hornets, and they took off.
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Step 2: Get the commissioner to back the change. Spoelstra and O'Grady pitched the idea in Stern's office.
SPOELSTRA: David told me, "This is the stupidest f---ing idea I've ever heard."
O'GRADY: He did say that. It wasn't the first time he said something like that. I had an open-door policy on dumb ideas.
STERN: If they say I said that, I'm sure I did.
Even though Stern didn't like the idea, the Nets ownership group were in favor of the name change but had to get the rest of the league on board. That didn't happen, unfortunately, so the Nets remain the Nets and not fire-breathing swamp dragons.
