A Comprehensive List of Purple NBA Teams

A list of all the purple NBA teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic and successful teams in the NBA. They have won 16 championships, more than any other team in the league. The Lakers have been home to some of the greatest players in Basketball History including Magic Johnson Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. The team has also had some of the most rivalries in the league, most notably with the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center in Los Angeles California.

The Brooklyn Nets

Formerly known as the New Jersey Nets the Brooklyn Nets are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Nets are based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City They play their home games at Barclays Center. The team is owned by Mikhail Prokhorov. The Head Coach is Steve Nash and the General Manager is Sean Marks.

The Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional Basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are members of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and play in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and played their home games at the Milwaukee Arena until it was demolished in 1988. The Bucks then moved to the Bradley Center which they called home until it was demolished in 2018. They currently play their home games at the Fiserv Forum. The franchise is valued at $1.075 billion, making them the 17th-most valuable franchise in the NBA.

The Bucks have won one NBA Championship (1971), two Conference titles (1971 and 1974), and 13 Division titles (1971–74, 1976, 1980–86, 2001, 2019). They have appeared in the NBA Finals four times (1971, 1973, 1974, and 2019), and have been playing in the playoffs for 50 seasons (1970–71 to 2019–20). The team has compiled an all-time win loss record of 2160–1941 (.526).

The Bucks began play in 1968 as an expansion team led by forward Lew Alcindor (later renamed Kareem Abdul Jabbar). In 1970, Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Elmore Smith, guard Junior Bridgeman and forward Brian Winters The following season saw them win their first division title with a record of 66-16; this remains the second-best record ever for an NBA expansion team. In 1971 they beat the Los Angeles Lakers to win their only NBA Championship this is also the only time that an expansion team has beaten a defending champion.

The Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the most iconic purple NBA Teams Founded in 1989, the team has been a force to be reckoned with ever since. From their star players like Kevin Garnett and Jimmy Butler to their passionate fans, the Timberwolves have always been a team to watch out for.

The New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are a professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division The team plays their Home Games at the Smoothie King Center

The Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional Basketball team based in Oklahoma City Oklahoma. They are members of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Thunder were founded in 1967 as the Seattle SuperSonics an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1968–69 season. The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after a settlement was reached between the former owner, Clay Bennett, and lawmakers from Seattle.

The Thunder’s name originates from Oklahoma’s location in Tornado Alley and severe weather is frequent in the state. The team’s home games take place at Chesapeake Energy Arena which it shares with fellow NBA team the Oklahoma City Blue of the G League. The Thunder’s chief rivals are the Minnesota Timberwolves San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets

The Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City Utah. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division Since 1991, the team has played its home games at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The franchise began play in 1974 as an expansion team located in New Orleans. The team then moved to Salt Lake City in 1979.

The Jazz were one of the least successful teams in the league in their early years. In 1986, the franchise was purchased by Larry Miller who owns a chain of car dealerships in the state of Utah. Miller turned the franchise around, and during his tenure as owner from 1986 to 2005, the Jazz had the third-highest winning percentage in NBA history (.636).

In 1998, Miller hired Jerry Sloan as head coach and Sloan led the Jazz to 14 consecutive playoff appearances (1997–2010). Additionally, since beginning play in 1974, the Jazz have made 18 appearances in the NBA Finals (1974–75 to 1996–97), more than any other NBA team that has not won an NBA Championship As of 2019–20, they have won one conference championship (in 1996–97) and 12 division championships (in 1980–81 to 2010–11).

The Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division The team plays its home games at the Capital One Arena, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

The franchise was established in 1961 as the Chicago Packers based in Chicago, Illinois, and were renamed to the Chicago Zephyrs the following season. In 1963, they relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking the name from a previous team of the same name. In 1973, the team changed its name to the Capital Bullets to reflect their move to Washington, D.C., and then to Washington Bullets in the following season. In 1997, they rebranded themselves as the Wizards; their current name was adopted three years later.

The Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division The team is owned by Michael Jordan who purchased it in 2010. The Hornets play their home games at the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte.

The Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division The Grizzlies play their home games at FedExForum.

The team was established as the Vancouver Grizzlies an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1995–96 season. After the 2000–01 season concluded, the franchise relocated to Memphis. The Grizzlies held playoff berths in eight of their first 12 seasons in Memphis; however, they never advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs in that stretch until finally doing so in 2011. Since then, they have appeared in seven playoff seasons and won four division titles (all three iterations of the franchise).