The Boston Celtics and New York Knickerbockers are two NBA teams that started and still play in the same NBA city and have the same team name.
On June 6, 1946, the BAA or the Basketball Association of America was born and 11 franchises comprised the new professional basketball league: Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington formed the East Division and Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto, Chicago and St. Louis the West Division. (It should be noted that two other pro basketball leagues also existed at that time, the American - a weekend league in small eastern cities, and the National - made up of small cities in New York state and the Midwest).
On August 3, 1949, six surviving teams from the National League joined the BAA. The resulting 17-team league is renamed the National Basketball Association (the NBA).
NBA Team Chronology
Team
History
ATLANTA HAWKS
Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1949-51) Milwaukee Hawks (1951-55) St. Louis Hawks (1955-68) Atlanta Hawks (1968-present)
BOSTON CELTICS
(1946-present)
BROOKLYN NETS
New York Nets (1976-77) New Jersey Nets (1977-2012) Brooklyn Nets (2012-present)
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002) Charlotte Bobcats (2004-14) Charlotte Hornets (2014-present)
CHICAGO BULLS
(1966-present)
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
(1970-present)
DALLAS MAVERICKS
(1980-present)
DENVER NUGGETS
(1976-present)
DETROIT PISTONS
Fort Wayne Pistons (1948-57) Detroit Pistons (1957-present)
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Philadelphia Warriors (1946-62) San Francisco Warriors (1962-71) Golden State Warriors (1971-present)
HOUSTON ROCKETS
San Diego Rockets (1967-71) Houston Rockets (1971-present)
INDIANA PACERS
(1976-present)
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Buffalo Braves (1970-78) San Diego Clippers (1978-84) Los Angeles Clippers (1984-present)
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Minneapolis Lakers (1948-60) Los Angeles Lakers (1960-present)
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-2001) Memphis Grizzlies (2001-present)
MIAMI HEAT
(1988-present)
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
(1968-present)
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
(1989-present)
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
New Orleans Hornets (2002-05) New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005-07) New Orleans Hornets (2007-13) New Orleans Pelicans (2013-present)
NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS
(1946-present)
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Seattle SuperSonics (1967-2008) Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-present)
ORLANDO MAGIC
(1989-present)
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Syracuse Nationals (1949-63) Philadelphia 76ers (1963-present)
New Orleans Jazz (1974-79) Utah Jazz (1979-present)
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Chicago Packers (1961-62) Chicago Zephyrs (1962-63) Baltimore Bullets (1963-73) Capital Bullets (1973-74) Washington Bullets (1974-98) Washington Wizards (1998-present)
