Lowe: The Definitive NBA Logo Rankings

[Dex]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-definitive-nba-logo-rankings/?ex_cid=story-twitter

Good off-season fodder...Lowe's subjective ranking of the 30 team logos with some interesting insights and history. Seems like he is a little out of his territory here, but a good read nonetheless.

[The Gemini Method]

15th?

[SuperCam]

Hornets 2nd best :toast

[Dex]

15th?

Seems fair to me. All the Lakers logo has going for it is history. Otherwise, it's about as vanilla as a basketball logo can be (team name overlaying a basketball)

[The Gemini Method]

Seems fair to me. All the Lakers logo has going for it is history. Otherwise, it's about as vanilla as a basketball logo can be (team name overlaying a basketball) Touche. That is a valid point. I see it in a historical context moreso than a design one.

[K...]

Lakers, just barely miss the lottery

[The Gemini Method]

lol @ the Clippers though...should've went wit the ship motif...

[lefty]

:cry det Hornets logo and jersey from the Zo-LJ-Musy era

[The Gemini Method]

Yeah those were clean back in the day for sure.

[Dex]

Touche. That is a valid point. I see it in a historical context moreso than a design one.

Tbh, the Boston logo is overrated in this list. It gets points for being iconic and representing the city (albeit in a slightly stereotypical way), but I've always found it to be gaudy and cartoonish.

[Juggity]

Weak ranking. Memphis being near the top is crazy. Lowe know his basketball, but he's no design guru.

[Dancelot]

:lol Thunder. Lowe definitely got that right.

[Reck]

Knicks need to update their Logo already. It's been like 30 years with the same colors and design.

I think blue and white fits the New York style much better.

[ace3g]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/619227912110239744/pdwTG52-_bigger.png #WeArePHX Verified account ‏@Suns (https://twitter.com/Suns)

Check out our new court that will be at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Purple lines and the sunburst are back! #WeArePHX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeArePHX?src=hash)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CObO75WUsAAj2jc.jpg
(https://twitter.com/Suns/status/641427609910386689/photo/1)

[DMC]

With teams like the Bucks and the Hornets, they could change their logo twice a season and no one would notice. If the Lakers changed theirs, it would be a nightmare. You have a multi-billion dollar brand, you don't change it for the times. You saw how careful Google was with their own name, barely changing the font. Same with the Bulls, Celtics and to an extent, the current Spurs although small market teams get away with it easier.

[DMC]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/619227912110239744/pdwTG52-_bigger.png #WeArePHX Verified account ‏@Suns (https://twitter.com/Suns)

Check out our new court that will be at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Purple lines and the sunburst are back! #WeArePHX (https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeArePHX?src=hash)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CObO75WUsAAj2jc.jpg
(https://twitter.com/Suns/status/641427609910386689/photo/1)
That should say "WE ARE FUXED"

[Caltex2]

Knicks need to update their Logo already. It's been like 30 years with the same colors and design.

I think blue and white fits the New York style much better.

Actually, the Knicks have gradually evolved over the decades. The basketball used to be brown, for example. I think I get what you mean. But it's a timeless logo like 90% of the NFL logos. A proud franchise doesn't have to completely change its logo/look every 5-15 years. I wish the Rockets would have stayed with and would go back to the base of the championship era logos, the Yao era has been done for a while. Or maybe combine it with the current sceme with yellow outlining.

[Medvedenko]

I like the Bucks and the Raptor ones. Obviously, I'm partial for the Laker logo, however it's purple and gold, plus has a simple design, albeit iconic and one that captured the zeitgeist.

[Caltex2]

I can't say I agree with the ratings. The Pistons, for example, did exactly what I was discussing about my hopes for the Rockets. They had an old logo, changed it completely but gradually evolved it to an updated version of the historic logo. It's not extremely creative but is a merger of the new with the old, like the current Astros logo.

What's so bad about the T-Wolves logo? It was a major upgrade over their original logo. Knicks? Timeless and historical. Nuggets? What else do you want, gold nuggets? The secondary logo resembles UTEP's logo to some degree. The primary logo is one that reminds you of Denver and the Rockies.

The Mavs in the 20's? The new Wizards logo as well? The Wizards are very cool, with the Washington Monument and star. The Magic? The Suns logo is iconic and historic. Meanwhile, the bland Sixers logo (and even more bland unis) make the top ten. Go figure.

One of the criticisms is that the logos are too plain and simplistic but what does the guy want? I'd rather have the Lakers, Clippers (current and previous) or Knicks logo compared to the busy Rockets logo of the Barkley/Francis era. For that matter, I'd want them over the way too simplistic (though meaningful) current Rockets logo.

The guy who wrote that is being overly harsh and overly simplistic. I do give him credit for speaking with experts in the industry. To top it off one of the plainest, though very iconic, logos in sports is number one.

[ambchang]

I don't get the man crush on the Bulls logo, it's a Bull that represents the Bulls, wow, revolutionary.

The Heat logo is a basketball on fire through a damn hoop, what's the big deal about that?

On the other hand, I have a new found appreciation for the Grizzlies logo, especially the reasons behind the colour schemes.

Same with the Bucks, the hidden basketball, the M in the collar area.

The Spurs logo looks great, but obviously I am biased.

He also rags on the 90s cartoonish looks, but we now seeing the trend of a flat two toned graphics trend mimicking shades (Grizzlies, Bucks, Wolves, Pelicans, Hornets), and he seemed to love it.

I dig the Wizards logo, appreciate the thoughts in the Blazers logo, find the Raptors logo to be cool (so much better than that dinosaur that doesn't even look like a raptor clutching a basketball), love the Hawks logo because it's classic and cool at the same time.

Find the Clippers logo to be the worst of the worst, the OKC logo is bad, but I felt the Clippers, Jazz, Pacers, Knicks, Kings, Mavs, Cavs and Rockets logos to be worse.

[Killakobe81]

Interesting takes. I just skimmed the article but I think what I am hearing from the responses is that some logos get bonus points for history, being iconic. Despite being cartoonish (Celts and to a lessor extent, Lakers) while others are slammed for the same thing. Amb is right nothing special about the Bulls BUT ...most of the current generation of media grew up watching dat shit lasered before the Bulls whupped ass in the 90's so of course it will be "iconic" to them.

Lowe is one of the better writers but you have to frame his views (and any writers) on the era they were "raised" as writers. Bob Ryan, Jackie m, Skip, Wilbon etc. Will all favor Magic, bird and Jordan and Lakers, Celts and Bulls. The new age analytics crowd it will be LeBron and to a lessor extent Timmy and the Spurs. (though Skip loves Spurs just a little less than jordan). When you study literature in college they always focus on the age and era the writer lived in because it shapes prism they view the world in and sport-writers are no different ... same as fans.

Neither side is "right" ...it's just a perspective. I prefer Magic to Kobe but doesnt make me any more right than Kool on who is the GOAT Laker. Both have a case.

Back to the OP I like the Lakers logo if i didn't always love the colors. Always wished we had something like the Dodgers or Raiders. But now I like how it's different. I think the spurs have a great scheme but the Raiders do it better ...NO ONE else in a sport that matters (LOL sparks) does purple and gold. And even if it is vanilla our colors stand out.

[The Gemini Method]

Could never really match the purple and gold whenever I go catch a game. It's a tough one to suit up for.

[Brazil]

I'm a fan of the Hawks logo

clean, classic and modern at the same time :tu

[Dex]

Weak ranking. Memphis being near the top is crazy. Lowe know his basketball, but he's no design guru.

I think Memphis actually has a pretty solid logo. Good use of positive/negative space with the light/dark blue to create a serious looking bear, one of the few logos which incorporates the animal without looking cartoonish (along with Atlanta's updated classic logo, which is sweet), and good historical / regional ties to the city.

Makes the Bulls logo look like a fucking Looney Toon, imo.

[Caltex2]

Back to the OP I like the Lakers logo if i didn't always love the colors. Always wished we had something like the Dodgers or Raiders. But now I like how it's different. I think the spurs have a great scheme but the Raiders do it better ...NO ONE else in a sport that matters (LOL sparks) does purple and gold. And even if it is vanilla our colors stand out.

Minnesota Vikings? Baltimore Ravens? And that's without going into the college ranks (University of Washington and LSU for example).


I think Memphis actually has a pretty solid logo. Good use of positive/negative space with the light/dark blue to create a serious looking bear, one of the few logos which incorporates the animal without looking cartoonish (along with Atlanta's updated classic logo, which is sweet), and good historical / regional ties to the city.

Makes the Bulls logo look like a fucking Looney Toon, imo.

The Bulls do get credit for being one of a handful of teams in pro sports that has never changed their primary logo and the only one I can think of that has gone at least roughly 50 seasons without having done so. The rest are current versions of teams that have only existed for about 20 years or less.

On a side note, the Cowboys star didn't always have the outline it has now.

[Killakobe81]

Minnesota Vikings? Baltimore Ravens? And that's without going into the college ranks (University of Washington and LSU for example).



The Bulls do get credit for being one of a handful of teams in pro sports that has never changed their primary logo and the only one I can think of that has gone at least roughly 50 seasons without having done so. The rest are current versions of teams that have only existed for about 20 years or less.

On a side note, the Cowboys star didn't always have the outline it has now.

Ravens are not purple and gold forgot about Minnesota ...and they are in a sport that matters more but it's still different they only use gold as accent to the mascot's hair and facial features the dominant color is purple white is featured second.

Wash does have gold but it's very different in shade ...

[Killakobe81]

LSU though does do both so you were right about that ...