# List of relocated NBA teams

This short description is INTENTIONALLY "none" &#x2D; please see WP:SDNONE before you consider changing it! The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men's basketball league, consisting of 30 teams in North America—29 in the United States and one in Canada. The NBA was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It adopted the name National Basketball Association at the start of the 1949–50 season when it absorbed the National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball, which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) as the national governing body for basketball in the country. The league is considered to be one of the four major professional sports leagues of North America.

## Relocated teams

The list contains current franchises in the NBA. It does not include name changes.
| First | First year in original city |
| Last | Last year in original city |
| Win% | Winning percentage |
| PA | NBA Playoffs appearances |
| C | Championship titles |
| ^ | City later received a new franchise |
| * | Later relocated again |
| Team | First | Last | Relocated to | Seasons | Win% | PA | C | Main reason |
| Tri-Cities Blackhawks | 1949 | 1951 | Milwaukee Hawks* | 2 | .409 | 1 | 0 | Small city |
| Milwaukee Hawks^ | 1951 | 1955 | St. Louis Hawks* | 4 | .324 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fort Wayne Pistons | 1948 | 1957 | Detroit Pistons | 9 | .506 | 8 | 0 | Small city |
| Rochester Royals | 1948 | 1957 | Cincinnati Royals* | 9 | .576 | 7 | 1 | Lack of profitability |
| Minneapolis Lakers^ | 1948 | 1960 | Los Angeles Lakers | 12 | .545 | 11 | 5 | Poor attendance |
| Philadelphia Warriors^ | 1946 | 1962 | San Francisco Warriors | 16 | .506 | 12 | 2 | Sold to San Francisco owner |
| Chicago Zephyrs^ | 1961 | 1963 | Baltimore Bullets* | 2 | .269 | 0 | 0 | |
| Syracuse Nationals | 1949 | 1963 | Philadelphia 76ers | 14 | .569 | 14 | 1 | |
| St. Louis Hawks | 1955 | 1968 | Atlanta Hawks | 13 | .550 | 12 | 1 | Sold to Atlanta owners |
| New Jersey Americans | 1967 | 1968 | New York Nets* | 1 | | 0 | 0 | Overbooked play location |
| San Diego Rockets^ | 1967 | 1971 | Houston Rockets | 4 | .363 | 1 | 0 | |
| Cincinnati Royals | 1957 | 1972 | Kansas City–Omaha Kings* | 15 | .467 | 7 | 0 | |
| Baltimore Bullets | 1963 | 1973 | Capital Bullets§ | 10 | .493 | 7 | 0 | |
| Kansas City–Omaha Kings | 1972 | 1975 | Kansas City Kings* | 3 | .459 | 1 | 0 | Moved all games to Kansas City |
| New York Nets | 1968 | 1977 | New Jersey Nets* | 8 | | 1 | 0 | NBA-ABA Merger, poor attendance |
| Buffalo Braves | 1970 | 1978 | San Diego Clippers* | 8 | .395 | 3 | 0 | |
| New Orleans Jazz^ | 1974 | 1979 | Utah Jazz | 5 | .393 | 0 | 0 | Lack of profitability |
| San Diego Clippers | 1978 | 1984 | Los Angeles Clippers | 6 | .378 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kansas City Kings | 1975 | 1985 | Sacramento Kings | 10 | .465 | 4 | 0 | Low attendance |
| Vancouver Grizzlies | 1995 | 2001 | Memphis Grizzlies | 6 | .220 | 0 | 0 | |
| Charlotte Hornets^ | 1988 | 2002 | New Orleans Hornets* | 14 | .485 | 7 | 0 | |
| New Orleans Hornets^ | 2002 | 2005 | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets* | 3 | .512 | 2 | 0 | |
| New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets^ | 2005 | 2007 | New Orleans Hornets | 2 | .470 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 1967 | 2008 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 41 | .524 | 22 | 1 | |
| New Jersey Nets | 1977 | 2012 | Brooklyn Nets | 35 | - | - | - | |
| Toronto Raptors | 1995 | 2020 | Tampa (Temporarily in 2021) | 25 | - | - | - | |
* ↑ Sold to Houston ownership group after original owner Robert Breitbard came under financial distress due to tax assessment issues surrounding the arena he developed, the San Diego International Sports Center
* ↑ The Capital Bullets were later renamed Washington Bullets (1974–1997) and Washington Wizards (since 1997). Despite relocating, the team would play a few home games in Baltimore from 1989 to 1997.
* ↑ Sale to California owner Irv Levin, who previously owned the Boston Celtics and swapped franchises with Braves owner John Y. Brown Jr.
* ↑ Sold to Donald Sterling, who wanted the team in his hometown and eventually succeeded in relocation. In 2024, the Clippers' NBA G League team moved from Ontario, California to San Diego, adopting the San Diego Clippers branding.
* ↑ Financial problems caused by low attendance and the weak Canadian dollar; sold to Michael Heisley with the intention of moving the team to Memphis.
* ↑ Declining attendance, reported lack of profitability, and the declining popularity of owner George Shinn. This relocation was reversed retroactively in 2014 when the newly rebranded Charlotte Hornets (founded as the Bobcats in 2004) was awarded the history and records of the original Hornets in Charlotte from 1988 to 2002, while retroactively suspending operations from 2002 to 2004. The now-New Orleans Pelicans (rebranded from the Hornets in 2013) kept the history and records of the team in New Orleans from 2002 onward, but were retroactively reclassified as an expansion team.
* ↑ Damage to the New Orleans metropolitan area caused by Hurricane Katrina forced the Hornets to play most of their home games in Oklahoma City.
* ↑ The Hornets returned to New Orleans for the 2007–08 season after repairs to the team's home arena were completed. The team was later renamed the New Orleans Pelicans (since 2013) and subsequently returned the Hornets brand to the NBA, which was reclaimed by the new Charlotte team (originally Bobcats) in 2014.
* ↑ Financial problems exacerbated by the failure to provide funds for a new arena in Seattle; sold to Clay Bennett in 2006 who concealed the intention of moving the team to Oklahoma City.
* ↑ Nets former owner Bruce Ratner bought them to move them to their new arena in Brooklyn, which is within 14 miles of its former arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, both of which are in the same New York Metropolitan Area
* ↑ The Raptors played their home games at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League during their 2020–21 season, as a result of COVID-19 cross-border travel restrictions imposed by the Government of Canada. They returned to Toronto the following season.