NBA.com: What's In a Name? A LOOK AT THE STORIES BEHIND THE NAMES OF NBA TEAMS What's In a Name? Have you ever wondered how your favorite NBA team received its famous moniker? Names like, the Lakers, the Jazz or the Heat. All NBA teams have an interesting story or a history behind their names. Some of the names reflect the city's culture or history, others were inherited from previous owners and many were selected through "Name the Team" contests. The following explains how NBA teams received their team name. The stories also are chronicled in the book "The Names of The Games: The Stories Behind the Nicknames of 102 Pro Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey Teams" by Mike Lessiter. Not a Perfect Match Los Angeles stuck with the Lakers even though L.A. is not exactly the land of the lakes. For teams like Los Angeles and Utah, the names were not always a reflection of the city. Even though lakes are not indigenous to Los Angeles, the Laker name has been a city treasure for almost 40 years. Before settling in Los Angeles , the team first originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 1948, club officials chose the name for its direct relationship to the state's motto, "The Land of 10,000 Lakes." The team name went unchanged after moving to Los Angeles prior to the 1960 season. Since Utah 's team has its roots in New Orleans, Louisiana it would explain why it's called the Jazz. In 1974, New Orleans club officials chose the name to represent the city for its reputation as the internationally known "jazz capital of the world". The name stayed with the team even after finding a new home in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1979. Names Selected by Original Owners Chicago 's original owner, Richard Klein probably had a premonition about the club's success when he named it the Bulls. He picked the name because the fighting bull had a relentless attitude along with the instinct to never say quit. Klein, who founded the club in 1966, believed these qualities were essential for a championship club and hoped his Chicago athletes would live up to the team name. A belief the Bulls - winners of six NBA championships in eight years - have definitely followed.

The Boston Celtics and the New York Knickerbockers, of the Basketball Association of America (which later merged with the National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association), are the only two original franchises still playing in the same city with the original team name since they were created in 1946. As head of the Boston Garden Arena Corporation, Walter Brown wanted basketball to fill his arena during long winter months and in between boxing matches and hockey games. Brown, the Celtics' founder, tossed around a variety of names for the team including the Whirlwinds, Olympics, and Unicorns but in the end chose the "Celtics". The name has a great basketball tradition from the old Original Celtics in New York (1914-1939). Tradition played a big part in naming the New York Knickerbockers. Chosen by the club's founder Ned Irish, the Knickerbocker name already played an integral part of the New York scene. The first organized team in baseball history was named the New York Knickerbockers or the Knickerbocker Nine.

The term "Knickerbockers" traces its origins back to the Dutch settlers who came to the New World - and especially to what is now known as New York - in the 1600s. Specifically, it refers to the style of pants worn by the settlers. The pants, which became known as knickerbockers or knickers, were rolled up just below the knee. Before relocating to Detroit , the Pistons' first home was Fort Wayne, Indiana where they were known as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons. Team owner Fred Zollner named the club after himself and his business, a piston manufacturing company in the area. However, Zollner moved the team to Detroit in 1957 in hopes of finding a bigger market. The team name went unchanged and fit right in with the Motor City's reputation as the auto capital of the world. "Name the Team" Contests On April 22, 1987, the NBA granted expansion franchises to Charlotte, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando. All four teams turned the responsibility of finding team names over to the fans by holding contests. In Charlotte 's case, the public prevailed after rejecting the original name, the Charlotte Spirit .

After team officials narrowed down fan submissions, fans voted on the last six choices and the "Hornets" won by a landslide. Here comes Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Skunks?!? Miami chose the Heat from names such as the Sharks, Tornadoes, Beaches and Barracudas. The name Magic was the winner for the Orlando franchise since the city's tourism slogan is "Come to the Magic". Minnesota team officials narrowed down contest submissions to Timberwolves and Polars. The Timberwolves name was selected by a 2-to-1 margin over the Polars because timberwolves are indigenous to Minnesota, the only state with a significant number of this breed of wolves, other than Alaska. But these weren't the only teams to ask their fans for help. Dallas chose "Mavericks" from fan submissions because of its connection to the world famous cowboy image of Texas. A contest helped Phoenix pick the Suns since it reflected Arizona's year-round sunshine and tropical climate. Seattle named its team the SuperSonics because of the huge Boeing plant located in the area in 1967. Boeing, one of the leading airplane manufacturers in the United States, proposed the building of a Concorde-style airplane called the "Supersonic Transport".

Over 200 entries suggested the Sonic name even though the plans for the new plane never took off. Out of all the entries submitted to local newspapers, the Cavaliers was the top pick for Cleveland . In the same year, Portland chose the Trail Blazers for its club's name from a contest that resulted in over 10,000 entries. In 1968, the Bucks was picked for Milwaukee 's team from entries that included Skunks, Beavers, Hornets and Ponies because it reflected the wildlife atmosphere in Wisconsin. The Houston Rockets first started out in San Diego, which selected the name because it agreed with the city's theme of a "City in Motion". After the 1970-71 season, the San Diego Rockets moved to Houston, Texas and kept the same name since it related to the city's NASA space program. After losing the Rockets to Houston, San Diego didn't have a team until the Buffalo Braves moved to California in 1978. Since team officials believed the name did not fit in with San Diego's image, a contest helped select the "Clippers" as the new name.

San Diego was famous for the great sailing ships - the clippers - which passed through the city many years ago. Los Angeles became home to the NBA franchise, now known as the Los Angeles Clippers, in 1984. When Toronto became the 28th team in the NBA and the first expansion franchise outside of the United States, a contest helped come up with the Raptors for the team name. Basketball Moves Chronicling a team's name is not always a simple task, especially in Atlanta 's case. The Atlanta Hawks played in three separate cities over a 20-year period before settling in its latest homestead in 1968. Originally known as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, named after the famous Sauk Indian Chief Black Hawk, the team belonged to Moline and Rock Island, Illinois; and Davenport, Iowa, which were granted the franchise in 1948. Chief Black Hawk's tribe was located in Rock Island and a major part of the 1831 Black Hawk War was fought in the surrounding areas. However, in 1951, the team migrated north to Milwaukee, where the its name was shortened to the Hawks.

But only four short years later, the team started to make its way south to St. Louis, Missouri, where it was known as the St. Louis Hawks. After 13 seasons, the team relocated again even further south to Atlanta, where it has been the Atlanta Hawks ever since. When Denver played its first season in the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967, the team was known as the Denver Rockets. The team had a set of new owners and the opportunity to join the National Basketball Association. Since another professional basketball team was already using the Rockets, Denver changed its name to the "Nuggets" just in time for the 1974-75 season. The name refers to the 19th century gold rush when people overwhelmed the area in search of gold and silver. Before finding its home in the Golden State , the Warriors first originated in Philadelphia. The team was named after the city's original basketball team - the Warriors who played in the American Basketball League in 1925. After spending 16 years in Philadelphia, the team moved to the other side of the United States to San Francisco where they were known as the San Francisco Warriors.

But a short time later, the team relocated again to Oakland in 1971, it was renamed the Golden State Warriors in an attempt to get the entire state of California involved with the basketball team. Even though the team moved to New York after its inaugural season in 1967, the club returned to New Jersey 10 years later. During the summer of 1968, the New Jersey Americans moved to Commack, Long Island, and was renamed the New York Nets after one of the most important parts of the basketball game - the net. Yet before the start of the 1977-78 season, the team relocated back to New Jersey and kept the same name. The Sacramento Kings began as the Rochester Royals in 1945 in the National Basketball League. In 1957, the team moved to Cincinnati and renamed the Cincinnati Royals. In 1972, the team moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and called the Kansas City-Omaha Kings after the city's fans voted on the name. The team played some home games in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1975, Omaha was dropped from the name.

Even though, the team moved to Sacramento, California in 1985 the name remained with the team. Before the team moved to San Antonio in the summer of 1973, it started out a Dallas franchise back in 1967. The club was named the Dallas Chaparrals, a name representing the famous thickets and trees located in Texas and Mexico. However, in 1970 the name changed to Texas Chaparrals in an effort to spark interest throughout the state. Yet only one year later, the club's name reverted back to Dallas. When the team relocated to San Antonio, the name no longer suited the city's image and a contest decided the new Spurs name, a reflection of the western heritage of Texas. Unique Decisions Washington owner Abe Pollin didn't like the violent connotations associated with the Bullets so changed the name to the Wizards. In 1967, the Indiana Pacers selected their team name in a different way from most other teams. Their decision was based on what they wanted to accomplish in the NBA. Team officials chose the Pacer name because the organization wanted to set the "pace" in professional basketball.

In the Spring of 1963, Philadelphia once again had an NBA team. The city's original team the Warriors transferred to San Francisco. After purchasing the Syracuse Nats, the team was renamed the 76ers, in honor of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress at Independence Hall located in Philadelphia. When the Washington franchise changed its name from the Bullets to the Wizards, it marked the third name change in club history. The team first started out as the Chicago Packers in 1961, when the owner David Trager named the club after his packing company, but only one year later the team name changed to Chicago Zephyrs. By 1963, the team moved to Baltimore and renamed the Baltimore Bullets after the city's first basketball franchise. Originally, the team was named after a local World War II ammunition factory. For the 1973-74 season, they were known as the Capitol Bullets. But times have changed.

With America moving to end violence and bring peace to its neighborhoods, Washington owner Abe Pollin made the decision to change the name to the Wizards for the beginning of the 1997-98 season. As the latest addition to the NBA, the Vancouver franchise selected the Grizzlies as its team name because grizzlies are an indigenous species to the area (there are about 20,000 Grizzly bears in British Columbia) and are prominent in northwestern native culture and mythology. The Origins of All 30 NBA Team Names | Mental Floss The Origins of All 30 NBA Team Names Getty Images Like us on Facebook The Hornets were supposed to be the Spirit, while the Grizzlies were almost named the Mounties. Why is a team in Los Angeles nicknamed the Lakers, and what's a team called the Jazz doing in Utah? Here's the story behind the nicknames of all 30 teams. Atlanta Hawks Getty Images In 1948, the cities of Moline and Rock Island, IL, and Davenport, IA—collectively known as the Tri-Cities at the time—were awarded a team in the National Basketball League.

The team was nicknamed the Blackhawks, who, like Chicago's hockey team, were named after the Sauk Indian Chief Black Hawk. When the team moved to Milwaukee in 1951, the nickname was shortened to Hawks. The franchise retained the shortened moniker for subsequent moves to St. Louis and finally Atlanta in 1968. Boston Celtics Getty Images Team owner Walter Brown personally chose Celtics over Whirlwinds, Olympians, and Unicorns (yes, Unicorns) as the nickname for Boston's Basketball Association of America team in 1946. Despite the warnings of one of his publicity staffers, who told Brown, "No team with an Irish name has ever won a damned thing in Boston," Brown liked the winning tradition of the nickname; the New York Celtics were a successful franchise during the 1920s. Brooklyn Nets Getty Images The New Jersey Americans joined the American Basketball Association in 1967 and moved to New York the following season. The team was renamed the New York Nets, which conveniently rhymed with Jets and Mets, two of the Big Apple's other professional franchises.

Before the 1977-78 season, the team returned to New Jersey but kept its nickname. In 1994, the Nets were reportedly considering changing their nickname to the Swamp Dragons to boost its marketing efforts. The franchise relocated to Brooklyn in 2012. Charlotte Hornets Getty Images The three finalists in the name-the-team contest for Charlotte's 2004 expansion franchise were Bobcats, Dragons, and Flight. Owner Bob Johnson was fond of BOBcats, but some of the league's players were less than impressed. "It sounds like a girls' softball team to me," Steve Kerr told reporters at the time. "I guess it shows there aren't many good nicknames left to be had." Perhaps Kerr was right. Bobcats became the Charlotte Hornets in 2014, reuniting the city with its previous NBA franchise's original nickname. Where did Hornets come from? In 1987, George Shinn and his ownership group announced that Spirit would be the nickname of Charlotte's prospective expansion franchise.

Fans voiced their displeasure, and it didn't help that some fans associated the nickname with the PTL Club, a Charlotte-based evangelical Christian television program that was the subject of an investigative report by the Charlotte Observer for its fundraising activities. Shinn decided to sponsor a name-the-team contest and had fans vote on six finalists. More than 9000 ballots were cast and Hornets won by a landslide, beating out Knights, Cougars, Spirit, Crowns, and Stars. Afterwards, Shinn noted that the nickname had some historical significance; during the Revolutionary War, a British commander reportedly referred to the area around Charlotte as a "hornet’s nest of rebellion." Chicago Bulls Getty Images According to the Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia, team owner Richard Klein was brainstorming nicknames for his new franchise in 1966 and wanted a name that portrayed Chicago's status as the meat capital of the world. Another theory is that Klein admired the strength and toughness of bulls. Klein was considering Matadors and Toreadors when his young son exclaimed, "Dad, that's a bunch of bull!" The rest is somewhat dubious history.

Cleveland Cavaliers Getty Images Fans voted Cavaliers the team nickname in 1970 in a poll conducted by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. The other finalists included Jays, Foresters, Towers, and Presidents. The Presidents nickname was presumably an allusion to the fact that seven former U.S. Presidents were born in Ohio, second only to Virginia. Jerry Tomko, who suggested Cavaliers in the contest, wrote, "Cavaliers represent a group of daring fearless men, whose life pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds." (Tomko's son, Brett, went on to become a Major League pitcher.) Dallas Mavericks Getty Images A Dallas radio station sponsored a name-the-team contest and recommended the finalists to team owner Donald Carter, who ultimately chose Mavericks over Wranglers and Express. The 41 fans who suggested Mavericks each won a pair of tickets to the season opener and one of those fans, Carla Springer, won a drawing for season tickets. Springer, a freelance writer, said the nickname "represents the independent, flamboyant style of the Dallas people." That's certainly an apt description for current team owner Mark Cuban. Denver Nuggets Getty Images Denver's ABA team was originally known as the Rockets.

When the team was preparing to move to the NBA in 1974, they needed a new nickname, as Rockets was already claimed by the franchise in Houston. Nuggets, an allusion to the city's mining tradition and the Colorado Gold Rush during the late 1850s and early 1860s, was chosen via a name-the-team contest. Detroit Pistons Getty Images The Pistons trace their roots to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where they were known as the Zollner Pistons. What's a Zollner Piston? A piston manufactured by then-team owner Fred Zollner, who named the club after his personal business. When the team moved to Detroit in 1957, Zollner dropped his name from the nickname but retained Pistons. The name was fitting for the Motor City. Golden State Warriors Getty Images The Philadelphia Warriors, named after the 1920s team that played in the American Basketball League, won the championship in the inaugural 1946-47 season of the Basketball Association of America. The Warriors moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco after the 1961-62 season and retained their nickname.

When the team relocated across the Bay to Oakland in 1971, they were renamed the Golden State Warriors. Houston Rockets Getty Images The Houston Rockets originally called San Diego home. Rockets was chosen via a name-the-team contest and was a reference to the city's theme, "A City In Motion." Liquid-fueled Atlas rockets were also being manufactured in San Diego. When the team moved to Houston in 1971, it made perfectly good sense to keep the name, as Houston was home to a NASA space center. Indiana Pacers Getty Images According to Michael Leo Donovan's book on team nicknames, Yankees to Fighting Irish: What's Behind Your Favorite Team's Name , the Pacers' nickname was decided upon in 1967 by the team's original investors, including attorney Richard Tinkham. The nickname is a reference to Indiana's rich harness and auto racing history. Pacing describes one of the main gaits for harness racing, while pace cars are used for auto races, such as the Indianapolis 500. Los Angeles Clippers Getty Images When the NBA's Buffalo Braves moved to San Diego in 1978, the owners wanted to rebrand the team with a new nickname.

They settled on Clippers, a popular type of ship during the 19th century. San Diego had been home to the Conquistadors/Sails of the ABA during the 1970s. Donald Sterling bought the Clippers during the 1981-82 season and relocated them to his native Los Angeles in 1984. He lost all respect in San Diego but kept the Clippers name. Los Angeles Lakers Getty Images How many natural lakes are there in Los Angeles? The short answer: Less than 10,000. When a pair of investors relocated the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League to Minneapolis before the 1947 season, they sought a name that would ring true with the team's new home. Given that Minnesota is "The Land of 10,000 Lakes," they settled on Lakers. When the Lakers moved to Los Angeles before the 1960 season, their nickname was retained, in part because of the tradition the team had established in Minnesota. Memphis Grizzlies Getty Images When Vancouver was awarded an expansion franchise in 1994 to begin play the following season, the team's owners had tentative plans to name the team the Mounties.

The Royal Mounted Canadian Police and fans alike objected, so team officials resumed their search for a name. The local newspaper sponsored a name-the-team contest, which club officials monitored before choosing Grizzlies, an indigenous species to the area, over Ravens. When the team relocated to Memphis before the 2001-02 season, FedEx was prepared to offer the Grizzlies $100 million to rename the team the Express, but the NBA rejected the proposal. Miami Heat Getty Images In October 1986, the owners of Miami's expansion franchise selected Stephanie Freed's Heat submission from more than 20,000 entries, which also included Sharks, Tornadoes, Beaches, and Barracudas. Milwaukee Bucks Getty Images Despite Wisconsin’s hunting tradition, the most popular entry in the contest to name Milwaukee’s NBA franchise wasn’t Bucks. It was Robins. The judges overruled the public and decided on a more indigenous (and much stronger) name. The choice could have been much worse: Skunks was among the other entries. Minnesota Timberwolves Getty Images The ownership group for Minnesota's prospective franchise chose Timberwolves through a name-the-team contest in 1986.

The nickname beat out Polars by a 2-1 margin in the final vote, which was conducted in 333 of the state's 842 city councils. Tim Pope, who was one of the first fans to nominate Timberwolves, won a trip to the NBA All-Star Game. Pope submitted 10 nicknames in all, including Gun Flints. "I thought a two-word name would win," he told a reporter. The most popular entry in the contest was Blizzard, but the team wanted a nickname that was more unique to its home state. "Minnesota is the only state in the lower 48 with free-roaming packs of timber wolves," a team official said. New Orleans Pelicans Getty Images Soon after Tom Benson purchased the New Orleans Hornets in 2012, the team announced they were going to change their name. According to Yahoo's Marc J. Spears , they "considered the nicknames Krewe (groups of costumed paraders in the annual Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans) and Brass," but settled on Pelicans—after the brown pelican, Louisiana's state bird.

New York Knicks Getty Images The term "Knickerbockers" referred specifically to pants rolled up just below the knee by Dutch settlers in the New World during the 1600s. Many of these settlers found homes in and around New York City, where a cartoon drawing of Father Knickerbocker became a prominent symbol of the city. In 1845, baseball's first organized team was nicknamed the Knickerbocker Nine and the name was evoked again in 1946 when New York was granted a franchise in the Basketball Association of America. Team founder Ned Irish reportedly made the decision to call the team the Knickerbockers—supposedly after pulling the name out of a hat. Oklahoma City Thunder Getty Images When the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City after the 2007-08 season, fans voted on potential nicknames from an original list of 64 possibilities. Thunder was chosen over Renegades, Twisters, and Barons, and the name was extremely well received. The team set sales records for the first day after the nickname was revealed.

"There's just all kinds of good thunder images and thoughts, and the in-game experience of Thunder," team chairman Clay Bennett told reporters. The SuperSonics had been named for the Supersonic Transport (SST) project, which had been awarded to Boeing. The company has a large plant in the Seattle area. Orlando Magic Getty Images When the Orlando Sentinel sponsored a name-the-team contest for Orlando's prospective expansion franchise, Challengers—an allusion to the space shuttle that crashed in 1986—was the most popular suggestion. Other entries included Floridians, Juice, Orbits, Astronauts, Aquamen, and Sentinels, but the panel of judges, including Orlando team officials who reviewed the suggestions, decided to go with Magic. The name is an obvious nod to the tourism-rich city's main attraction, Disney World. Philadelphia 76ers Getty Images The Syracuse Nationals were relocated to the City of Brotherly Love in 1963 and the team was renamed the 76ers, an allusion to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776.

Phoenix Suns Getty Images General manager Jerry Colangelo, only 28 at the time, settled on a name for his expansion franchise using a name-the-team contest in 1968. Colangelo chose Suns over Scorpions, Rattlers, and Thunderbirds, among the other suggestions included in the 28,000 entries. One lucky fan won $1,000 and season tickets as part of the contest, which included such obscure entries as White Wing Doves, Sun Lovers, Poobahs, Dudes, and Cactus Giants. Portland Trail Blazers Getty Images In 1970, Portland was granted an expansion franchise in the NBA and team officials announced a name-the-team contest. Of the more than 10,000 entries, Pioneers was the most popular, but was ruled out because nearby Lewis & Clark College was already using the nickname. Another popular entry was Trail Blazers, whose logo is supposed to represent five players on one team playing against five players from another team. Sacramento Kings Getty Images The Kings' royal lineage stretches all the way back to the founding of the National Basketball League's Rochester Royals in 1945.

The Royals retained their nickname after a move to Cincinnati in 1957 and became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (soon dropping the Omaha) through a name-the-team contest in 1972. The name remained unchanged when the franchise relocated to California in 1985. San Antonio Spurs Getty Images A group of San Antonio investors purchased the Dallas Chaparrals from the American Basketball Association in 1973 and decided to hold a public contest to rename the team. Five thousand entries with over 500 names were submitted. After reconsidering their first decision to call the team the Aztecs (several teams already used that name), the judges (investors and local press representatives) settled on Spurs. It may have just been a coincidence that one of the team's main investors, Red McCombs, was born in Spur, Texas. Toronto Raptors Getty Images The ownership group of Toronto's prospective expansion team conducted extensive marketing research across Canada in 1994 and held a nationwide vote that helped team officials come up with a list of potential nicknames. Raptors, which Jurassic Park helped popularize the year before, was eventually chosen over runners-up Bobcats and Dragons.

Utah Jazz Getty Images No, Utah isn't known for its Jazz. The team originated in New Orleans in 1974 and club officials decided to keep the name after relocating to Salt Lake City in 1979. The Jazz nickname was originally chosen through a name-the-team contest, which produced seven other finalists: Dukes, Crescents, Pilots, Cajuns, Blues, Deltas, and Knights. Deltas would've translated to Salt Lake City rather well (the airline of the same name has a hub there), while Cajuns may have been even worse than Jazz. Washington Wizards Getty Images In the early 1990s, Washington Bullets owner Abe Pollin was becoming frustrated with the association of his team's nickname and gun violence. After Pollin's friend, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated, Pollin decided to take action and announced his plans to rename the team. (Though Dan Steinberg of D.C.

Sports Bog wrote a very detailed history of the name change, and called into question the impact Rabin's death had on the decision.) A name-the-team contest was held and fans voted on a list of finalists that included Wizards, Dragons, Express, Stallions, and Sea Dogs. Not long after Wizards was announced as the winning name before the 1997-98 season, the local NAACP chapter president complained that the nickname carried Ku Klux Klan associations. Previous nicknames for the franchise when they were still in Chicago include Packers and Zephyrs. The first version of this post was published in 2009. Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving named to USA Basketball national team pool for 2014-16 | cleveland.com Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving named to USA Basketball national team pool for 2014-16 Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving (23) drives past Cavs teammate Dion Waiters and Sacramento Kings' DeMarcus Cousins during a USA Basketball minicamp scrimmage last summer in Las Vegas.

(AP Photo) comments INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving was coy on Thursday afternoon when asked about the possibility of being named an All-Star starter on Thursday night. All he wanted to talk about was being named to the USA Basketball men's national team roster on Thursday morning, the first step toward making the 2014 World Cup team and the 2016 Olympic team. "I was just happy to be on the Olympic roster,'' he said after practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "That’s the best answer I can give you right now until it’s officially out. I’m just happy to be on the Olympic roster. "If something miraculous happens later on, I’ll be ecstatic. Right now I’m happy to be on the U.S. Olympic team … It’s such an honor to be in such a great pool of players. You look at the list of the veterans on the team and the newcomers, it’s such great talent. I’m looking forward to going to camp and working hard with the team.

"To have USA on your chest is one of those lifetime goals as a kid I want to accomplish.'' Kyrie Irving Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving talks about being named to the USA Basketball men's national team While both appointments are honors, neither came as a surprise. Irving has been running second to Dwyane Wade since the first All-Star Eastern Conference backcourt voting results were announced. The top two backcourt vote-getters will start. He will become the third Cavalier voted into the starting lineup, following Shawn Kemp and LeBron James. Similarly, his appointment to the national team roster has been expected since he dominated the USA Basketball minicamp in Las Vegas last summer -- yet another step in his meteoric rise in just his third season. USA Basketball and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Irving his only year in college, said such accomplishments are to be expected. "I'm not surprised with anything Kyrie is doing,'' Krzyzewski said in a conference call announcing the national team on Thursday morning. "I knew in high school when I saw him that he had not just special athletic talents, but he has special mental and people talent. He's got the whole package.

He's grounded, and nothing that he does will surprise me.'' Krzyzewski also thinks having former Duke star Luol Deng alongside Irving in Cleveland will only help his development. "I think having Luol there gives him a veteran who is the ultimate warrior,'' the coach said. "Luol is one of the more talented players in the NBA, and the very few times that he might be playing somebody that has a little bit more talent, he will never be outcompeted. Any NBA coach will tell you that they look for talent and somebody who will not be outcompeted at his position every night, and to have that around Kyrie right now as he develops -- I mean, he would only be a senior in college right now -- I think is very opportunistic for him.'' Cavs coach Mike Brown thinks playing with the national team will benefit Irving. "What a phenomenal experience to be a part of that,'' he said. "At this point in his career, you can’t ask for more than to be around that type of environment around those types of guys and that situation. I’m extremely happy for him. "You’re talking about playing for a great coach, a Hall of Fame coach, in Coach K.

Being on a pretty high stage, if not the highest stage in the game of basketball. You’re playing games that really matter and mean something. The competitive spirit of those games is very high. The preparation that you get as a team and from the individuals on that team is off the charts. "You can always learn from not just the coach and the team environment, but the individuals, too, and how they prepare on the floor and off the floor, to win games. How they lead. It would be a phenomenal experience for him.'' The national team is deep and talented.

USA Basketball Chairman and National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo called it "the strongest we've ever had." Returning to the USA national team for 2014-16 are three-time Olympic medalists and two-time Olympic gold medalists Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks) and James (Miami Heat), two-time Olympic gold medalists Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers), and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets), 2012 Olympic gold medalists Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks), Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), James Harden (Houston Rockets), Andre Iguodala (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets), as well as Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), who was originally named to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team roster but was unable to participate because of an injury. Returning to national team roster after capturing gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship are Chandler, Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Durant, Iguodala, Love, Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), and Westbrook.

Completing the USA National Team roster are LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz), Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), David Lee (Golden State Warriors), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors). Cavaliers vs. Bucks Cleveland Browns Team Page at NFL.com Regular Season: No Stats Available Postseason: No Stats Available Experience: No Stats Available Career record: No Stats Available Hue Jackson was named the 16th full-time head coach in Cleveland Browns history by Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam on January 13, 2016. He brings 29 years of coaching experience, including the last 15 in the NFL. He has spent nine seasons coaching in the AFC North, during which time he helped his team advance to the postseason seven times. Jackson was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and guided the team to an 8-8 record.

He has also served as offensive coordinator in Washington (2003), Atlanta (2007), Oakland (2010) and Cincinnati (2014-15). Jackson has spent the past four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. During that time, he helped the Bengals to two division titles and a trip to the postseason all four years. In 2012, he served as secondary/assistant special teams coach before coaching the running backs in 2013. Jackson spent the past two seasons (2014-15) as offensive coordinator. With Jackson as coordinator in 2015, the Bengals offense finished third in the AFC in yards per play (5.7) and points per game (26.2). He was voted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) as the Co-Assistant Coach of the Year as quarterback Andy Dalton set a career high and franchise record with a 106.3 rating, which led the AFC and was second in the NFL. After losing Dalton to injury in Week 14, Jackson guided quarterback A.J.

McCarron to a 2-1 record in the final three games of the season as the Bengals clinched the AFC North title. The Cincinnati running game produced two 700-yard rushers in Jeremy Hill (794) and Giovani Bernard (730) for the first time since 1988. Tight end Tyler Eifert experienced a breakout season after hauling in 13 touchdown receptions, the most by a Bengals tight end in franchise history and the most by a Cincinnati player since 2001. Wide receiver A.J. Green added 10 receiving touchdowns on 86 receptions for 1,297 yards. Eifert, Green and left tackle Andrew Whitworth were selected to the Pro Bowl. In Jackson’s first year as offensive coordinator for Cincinnati in 2014, the run game posted its highest yards per game average (134.1) since 2000. Dalton passed for 3,398 yards and Green totaled 1,041 receiving yards. Hill led all NFL rookies with 1,124 rushing yards, the second-most by a Bengals rookie in team history.

After spending the 2010 season as the Raiders offensive coordinator, Jackson was promoted to head coach in 2011. Oakland finished the year 8-8 and tied for first in the AFC West but missed the postseason via tiebreaker. The 8-8 mark was the best record by any Raiders team since 2002. The Raiders finished ninth in the NFL in total offense (379.5 yards per game) and seventh in rushing offense (131.9). Before joining the Raiders, Jackson spent two seasons (2008-09) as quarterbacks coach for Baltimore, helping the Ravens advance to the playoffs both years. He was vital in the development of Joe Flacco, who was named NFL Rookie of the Year in 2008 and became the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games as the Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship game. From 2004-06, Jackson served as the Bengals wide receivers coach, helping develop one of the best wide receiver tandems in NFL history with Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

During that span, the two combined to average 173.3 catches, 2,363.3 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns per season. In 2005, Johnson led the AFC with 1,432 receiving yards. In 2006, Johnson and Houshmandzadeh became the first Bengals duo to each top 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. Jackson gained his first fulltime NFL experience with Washington, where he served as the running backs coach from 2001-02, before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2003. Under Jackson’s tutelage, running back Stephen Davis led the NFC with 1,432 rushing yards in 2001. Jackson spent 14 years coaching on the college level, going from a graduate assistant at Pacific all the way to offensive coordinator at Southern California. He spent four seasons (1997-2000) as USC’s offensive coordinator, where he also helped to recruit and develop players, including quarterback Carson Palmer, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy and be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft.

He was a minority coaching fellowship intern with the Los Angeles Rams in 1990, Arizona Cardinals in 1992 and Washington Redskins in 1995. He also served as the running backs/wide receivers/special teams coach for the London Monarchs of the World League in 1991. Born Oct. 22, 1965, Jackson was a quarterback at Pacific from 1985-86 and threw for 2,544 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Los Angeles native also lettered in basketball and earned his degree in physical education. Jackson and his wife, Michelle, have three daughters, Jordyn, Baylee and Haydyn. Terrelle Pryor Sr. burns cornerback on double move for 43-yard reception Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 03:59 p.m. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor Sr. puts devastating move on Pittsburgh defense on 43-yard reception from QB Robert Griffin III. 00:30 Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 03:52 p.m.

Cleveland Browns running back George Atkinson III pushes into end zone on 5-yard TD run. 00:27 Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 03:48 p.m. Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell weaves through Pittsburgh defense on 67-yard rush. 00:45 Robert Griffin III fires one on target to Gary Barnidge for 4-yard quick hit TD Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 01:53 p.m. Cleveland Browns QB Robert Griffin III links up with tight end Gary Barnidge on 4-yard quick hit TD. 00:38 What's in a Nickname? The Origins of All 32 NFL Team Names | Mental Floss What's in a Nickname? The Origins of All 32 NFL Team Names Getty Images Like us on Facebook What do newspaper headline type and the New Deal have to do with the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles? Here are the stories behind the nicknames of the NFL’s 32 teams—and what they were almost called. ARIZONA CARDINALS Getty Images The franchise began play in Chicago in 1898 before moving to St.

Louis in 1960 and Arizona in 1988. Team owner Chris O’Brien purchased used and faded maroon jerseys from the University of Chicago in 1901 and dubbed the color of his squad’s new outfits “cardinal red.” A nickname was born. The team adopted the cardinal bird as part of its logo as early as 1947 and first featured a cardinal head on its helmets in 1960. ATLANTA FALCONS Getty Images Shortly after insurance executive Rankin Smith brought professional football to Atlanta, a local radio station sponsored a contest to name the team. Thirteen hundred people combined to suggest more than 500 names, including Peaches, Vibrants, Lancers, Confederates, Firebirds, and Thrashers. While several fans submitted the nickname Falcons, schoolteacher Julia Elliott of nearby Griffin was declared the winner of the contest for the reason she provided. “The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight,” Elliott wrote. “It never drops its prey. It is deadly and has great sporting tradition.” Elliott won four season tickets for three years and a football autographed by the entire 1966 inaugural team.

BALTIMORE RAVENS Getty Images Ravens, a reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, beat out Americans and Marauders in a contest conducted by the Baltimore Sun. Poe died and is buried in Baltimore. Of the more than 33,000 voters in the Sun’s phone-in poll, more than 21,000 picked Ravens. “It gives us a strong nickname that is not common to teams at any level, and it gives us one that means something historically to this community,” said team owner Art Modell, who had attempted to buy the Colts nickname back from the franchise that left Baltimore for Indianapolis in 1984. The Marauders nickname referenced a B-26 built during World War II by the Glenn L. Martin Company, a predecessor to Lockheed Martin that was based in Baltimore. Other names considered included the Railers, Bulldogs, Mustangs, and Steamers. BUFFALO BILLS Getty Images The Bills nickname was suggested as part of a fan contest in 1947 to rename Buffalo’s All-America Football Conference team, which was originally known as the Bisons.

The Bills nickname referenced frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody and was selected over Bullets, Nickels, and Blue Devils. It helped that the team was owned by the president of Frontier Oil, James Breuil. Buffalo was without a team from 1950 to 1959, when owner Ralph Wilson acquired a franchise in the AFL. Wilson solicited potential nicknames from fans for his new franchise and ultimately chose Bills in homage to the city’s defunct AAFC team. CAROLINA PANTHERS Getty Images Panthers team president Mark Richardson, the son of team owner Jerry Richardson, chose the Panthers nickname because "it's a name our family thought signifies what we thought a team should be—powerful, sleek and strong." Richardson also chose the 1995 expansion team’s color scheme of black, blue, and silver, a choice that initially came under scrutiny from NFL Properties representatives. According to one newspaper report, the concern was raised at the 1993 NFL meetings that a team nicknamed the Panthers that featured black in its color scheme would appeal to street gangs and reflect poorly on the league.

CHICAGO BEARS Getty Images In 1921, the Decatur Staleys, a charter member of the American Professional Football Association, moved to Chicago and kept their nickname, a nod to the team’s sponsor, the Staley Starch Company. When star player George Halas purchased the team the following year, he decided to change the nickname. Chicago played its home games at Wrigley Field, home of baseball’s Cubs, and Halas opted to stick with the ursine theme. CINCINNATI BENGALS Getty Images Team owner, general manager, and head coach Paul Brown nicknamed Cincinnati’s AFL expansion franchise the Bengals in 1968 in honor of the football team nicknamed the Bengals that played in the city from 1937-1942. According to Brown, the nickname “would provide a link with past professional football in Cincinnati.” Brown chose Bengals over the fans’ most popular suggestion, Buckeyes.

CLEVELAND BROWNS Getty Images There’s some debate about whether Cleveland’s professional football franchise was named after its first coach and general manager, Paul Brown, or after boxer Joe Louis, who was nicknamed the “Brown Bomber.” Team owner Mickey McBride conducted a fan contest in 1945 and the most popular submission was Browns. According to one version of the story, Paul Brown vetoed the nickname and chose Panthers instead, but a local businessman informed the team that he owned the rights to the name Cleveland Panthers. Brown ultimately agreed to the use of his name and Browns stuck. DALLAS COWBOYS Getty Images The Cowboys, who began play in the NFL in 1960, were originally going to be nicknamed the Steers. The team’s general manager, Texas E. Schramm, decided that having a castrated bovine as a mascot might subject the team to ridicule, so he decided to go with Rangers instead. But fearing that people would confuse the football team with the local minor league baseball team nicknamed the Rangers, Schramm finally changed the nickname to Cowboys shortly before the season began.

DENVER BRONCOS Getty Images Denver was a charter member of the AFL in 1960 and Broncos, which was submitted along with a 25-word essay by Ward M. Vining, was the winning entry among 162 fans who responded in a name-the-team contest. A Denver team by the same name played in the Midwest Baseball League in 1921. DETROIT LIONS Getty Images Radio executive George A. Richards purchased and moved the Portsmouth Spartans to Detroit in 1934 and renamed the team the Lions. The nickname was likely derived from Detroit’s established baseball team, the Tigers, who won 101 games and the AL pennant that year. As the team explained it, “The lion is the monarch of the jungle, and we hope to be the monarch of the league.” GREEN BAY PACKERS Getty Images Team founder Earl “Curly” Lambeau’s employer, the Indian Packing Company, sponsored Green Bay’s football team and provided equipment and access to the field. The Indian Packing Company became the Acme Packing Company and later folded, but the nickname stuck.

HOUSTON TEXANS Getty Images Houston’s 2002 expansion franchise became the sixth professional football team nicknamed the Texans. The Dallas Texans were an Arena Football League team from 1990 to 1993 and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revived the team in 2000. He was planning to keep the old nickname, but ultimately renamed the team the Desperados. Houston owner Bob McNair chose Texans over Apollos and Stallions. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Getty Images The Baltimore Colts, a member of the All-America Football Conference from 1947-1950, were named in honor of the region’s history of horse breeding. The name remained when a new franchise began play in 1953 and after the team relocated to Indianapolis in 1984. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Getty Images The Jaguars nickname was selected through a fan contest in 1991, 2 years before the city was officially awarded an expansion team and 4 years before the team would begin play. Other names considered included the Sharks and Stingrays. While Jaguars aren’t native to Jacksonville, the oldest living jaguar in North America was housed in the Jacksonville Zoo.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Getty Images The Chiefs began play in the AFL in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. When the team moved to Kansas City in 1963, owner Lamar Hunt changed the team’s name to the Chiefs after also considering Mules, Royals, and Stars. Hunt said the name was locally important because Native Americans had once lived in the area. Hunt may have also been swayed by Kansas City mayor H. Roe Bartle, whose nickname was The Chief. Bartle helped lure the team to Kansas City by promising Hunt that the city would meet certain attendance thresholds. LOS ANGELES RAMS Getty Images The Rams, who originated in Cleveland in 1936 and spent 1946 through 1994 in the Los Angeles area before moving to St. Louis, are back in LA this season. The team traces their nickname to the college ranks. Principal owner Homer Marshman and general manager Damon “Buzz” Wetzel chose the nickname because Wetzel’s favorite football team had always been the Fordham Rams. Fordham—Vince Lombardi’s alma mater—was a powerhouse at the time.

MIAMI DOLPHINS Getty Images A name-the-team contest drew nearly 20,000 entries and resulted in the nickname for the Miami franchise that entered the AFL as an expansion team in 1966. More than 600 fans suggested Dolphins, but Marjorie Swanson was declared the winner after correctly predicting a tie in the 1965 college football game between Miami and Notre Dame as part of a follow-up contest. Swanson, who won a lifetime season pass to Dolphins games, told reporters she consulted a Magic 8-Ball before predicting the score of the game. Miami owner Joe Robbie was fond of the winning nickname because, as he put it, “The dolphin is one of the fastest and smartest creatures in the sea.” MINNESOTA VIKINGS Getty Images According to the Vikings’ website, Bert Rose, Minnesota’s general manager when it joined the NFL in 1961, recommended the nickname to the team’s Board of Directors because “it represented both an aggressive person with the will to win and the Nordic tradition in the northern Midwest.” The expansion franchise also became the first pro sports team to feature its home state, rather than a city, in the team name.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Getty Images Seventy-four fans suggested Patriots in the name-the-team contest that was conducted by the management group of Boston’s original AFL franchise in 1960. “Pat Patriot,” the cartoon of a Minuteman preparing to snap a football drawn by the Boston Globe’s Phil Bissell, was chosen as the team’s logo soon after. While the first part of the team’s name changed from Boston to New England in 1971, Patriots remained. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS Getty Images New Orleans was awarded an NFL franchise on All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1966. The nickname was a popular choice in a name-the-team contest sponsored by the New Orleans States-Item, which announced the news of the new franchise with the headline, “N.O.

goes pro!” The nickname, chosen by team owner John Mecom, was a nod to the city’s jazz heritage and taken from the popular song, “When the Saints Go Marching In.” NEW YORK GIANTS Getty Images New York owner Tim Mara borrowed the Giants nickname from John McGraw’s National League baseball team, a common practice by football teams during an era when baseball was the nation’s preeminent team sport. NEW YORK JETS Getty Images Originally nicknamed the Titans, the team was renamed the Jets in 1963 after Sonny Werblin led an investment group that purchased the bankrupt franchise for $1 million. According to a contemporary New York Times story, the franchise considered calling itself the Dodgers, but nixed the idea after Major League Baseball didn’t like it. Gothams also got some consideration, but the team didn’t like the idea of having it shortened to the Goths, because “you know they weren’t such nice people.” The last finalist to fall was the New York Borros, a pun on the city’s boroughs; the team worried that opposing fans would make the Borros-burros connection and derisively call the squad the jackasses.

Eventually the team became the Jets since it was going to play in Shea Stadium, which is close to LaGuardia Airport. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the name was supposed to reflect the “modern approach of his team.” OAKLAND RAIDERS Getty Images Chet Soda, Oakland’s first general manager, sponsored a name-the-team contest in 1960. Helen A. Davis, an Oakland policewoman, submitted the winning entry, Señors, and was rewarded with a trip to the Bahamas. The nickname, an allusion to the old Spanish settlers of northern California, was ridiculed in the weeks that followed, and fans also claimed that the contest was fixed. Scotty Stirling, a sportswriter for the Oakland Tribune who would later become the team’s general manager, provided another reason to abandon the nickname. “That’s no good,” Stirling said. “We don’t have the accent mark for the n in our headline type.” Responding to the backlash, Soda and the team’s other investors decided to change the team’s nickname to Raiders, which was a finalist in the contest along with Lakers.

Philadelphia Eagles Getty Images In 1933, Bert Bell and Lud Wray purchased the bankrupt Frankford Yellowjackets. The new owners renamed the team the Eagles in honor of the symbol of the National Recovery Act, which was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. PITTSBURGH STEELERS Getty Images Pittsburgh’s football team shared the same nickname as the city’s baseball team, the Pirates, from 1933 to 1940. Before the 1940 season, owner Art Rooney held a rename-the-team contest. A change couldn’t hurt, as Pittsburgh had failed to post a winning season in its first 7 years. Joe Santoni, who worked in a mill for Pittsburgh Steel, was one of several fans who suggested Steelers. Santoni received a pair of season tickets, which he would renew every year until his death in 2003. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Getty Images Team owner Barron Hilton sponsored a name-the-team contest and promised a trip to Mexico City to the winner in 1960. Gerald Courtney submitted “Chargers” and Hilton reportedly liked the name so much that he didn’t open another letter.

There are varying accounts as to why Hilton chose Chargers for his franchise, which spent one year in Los Angeles before relocating to San Diego. According to one story, Hilton liked the name, in part, for its affiliation with his new Carte Blanche credit card. The owner also told reporters that he was fond of the “Charge!” bugle cry played at the Los Angeles Coliseum. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Getty Images The 49ers, who began play in the All-America Football Conference in 1946, were named after the settlers who ventured to the San Francisco area during the gold rush of 1849. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Getty Images There were 1,700 unique names among the more than 20,000 submitted in a name-the-team contest in 1975, including Skippers, Pioneers, Lumberjacks, and Seagulls. About 150 people suggested Seahawks. A Seattle minor league hockey team and Miami’s franchise in the All-America Football Conference both used the nickname in the 1950s.

“Our new name suggests aggressiveness, reflects our soaring Northwest heritage, and belongs to no other major league team,” Seattle general manager John Thompson said. The Seahawks’ helmet design is a stylized head of an osprey, a fish-eating hawk of the Northwest. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Getty Images A panel of local sportswriters and representatives from the NFL expansion team, including owner Hugh F. Culverhouse, chose Buccaneers from an original list of more than 400 names in 1975. The nickname, which was a popular choice among fans in a name-the-team contest, was a nod to the pirates who raided Florida’s coasts during the 17th century. TENNESSEE TITANS Getty Images After relocating from Houston to Tennessee in 1995, the team played two seasons as the Oilers before owner Bud Adams held a statewide contest to rename the team. Titans was chosen over nicknames such as Tornadoes, Copperheads, South Stars, and Wranglers. “We wanted a new nickname to reflect strength, leadership and other heroic qualities,'' Adams told reporters.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS Getty Images One year after he acquired an NFL franchise in Boston, George Preston Marshall changed the team’s nickname from Braves to Redskins. According to most accounts, the nickname was meant to honor head coach and Native American William Henry “Lone Star” Dietz, though some question whether Dietz was a Native American. The Redskins kept their controversial nickname when they relocated to Washington, DC, in 1937. A version of this post originally appeared in 2010.

Question: What US city is home to a basketball team called the Cavaliers and a football team called the Browns?
Answer: Cleveland