There have been hundreds of team logo’s in the history of the NBA. Some have been fantastic, some have been okay, and others have been bad. But which ones truly standout as the best of the best?

To find out what NBA logos are the best, we have to find out what makes a logo good to begin with. For the NBA, a logo is going to need to be basketball related. it also has to be unique, and capture the essence of the city it is to represent.

The 10 best old school NBA logos

#1
The Toronto Raptors 1996-2008

The best retro logo is that of the Toronto Raptors. Its one of the most unique logos and names in sports. Taking its origins from the 1993 movie Jurassic Park. Having the ferocious Raptor playing basketball in the logo really makes it stand out.

#2
The Seattle Supersonics 1975-1995

The Supersonics logo has nothing to do with breaking the sound barrier, but the basketball acting as a setting sun behind the backdrop of the Seattle skyline with the Spaceneedle being prominantly featured makes this one of the most recognizable logos in sports history.

#3
The Minnesota Timberwolves 1989-1996

Times were tough when the Timberwolves used this logo, but while the team was terrible the logo was elite. The timberwolf and basketball makes it clear this is a basketball team and while the wolf isn’t as ferious as the Raptor, its still intimidating and unique.

#4
The Milwaukee Bucks 1968-93

The pompous deer sitting a top the Milwaukee wording in this classic Bucks logo was one of the most recognizable logos of the 1980s. While the logo is not fearsome it does encapsulate the message that this is a basketball team in Milwaukee.

#5
The Denver Nuggets 1981-1993

The 1980s Nuggets logo is another classic one. It has the rainbow colors of the state of Colorado set against a mountain sunset with the Rocky Mountains behind the Denver city skyline.
#6
The Dallas Mavericks 1980-2001

Another simplistic logo from the 1980s. This Dallas Mavericks logo is usually just a simple M over a basketball and a cowboy hat. It shows the western spirit of Texas in a simple but effective way.

#7
The Vancouver Grizzlies 1996-2001

The Memphis Grizzlies logo from the same era could also be used here, as its identical but has Memphis instead of Vancouver. The Grizzly bear is ferocious and scary. The reason we went with the Vancouver logo and not the Memphis one is because the color scheme here along with the way the letters present themselves are indicative of the First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest, so the Vancouver logo ties together a lot better.

#8
The Atlanta Hawks 1972-1995

The Hawks logo is really simplistic, it’s just a basketball with the face of a hawk in it. Its quick and its easy and thats the beauty in this logo.

#9
The San Francisco Warriors 1969-1971

This Warriors logo may look familar to many, as the Warriors have brought it back, but this is the original logo from 1969. Its again, rather simplistic with just a circle and the Golden Gate Bridge in the center. The number in the middle changes player by player. The logo shows off one of the most iconic things about San Francisco and its beauty is one reason the Warriors new ownership brought it back 50 years later.

#10
The Toronto Huskies 1946-47

We finish were we began, with a Toronto franchise. Early logos were simple and a lot of them were not very good. Here, the Toronto Huskies logo is simple yet very good. The husky is both stout and lovable, fearsome but cuddly.