Pitching 23 Team Names for the NBA’s Expansion Franchise in Las Vegas

In Season 4 of the hit show Mad Men, a drunken Don Draper stood in front of executives from Quaker Oats and gave the worst pitch of his career.

Stumbling into a conference room after having a few too many while celebrating a win at the CLIO Awards, Draper mumbled through his tacky idea for a Life Cereal ad: “Little kid, big bowl, big spoon.”

When the executives don’t like it, Draper starts shooting from the hip. Some ideas he pitched were awful (“Enjoy the rest of your Life … cereal.”) His co-worker Pete Campbell was embarrassed. But in the end, those executives walked away happy with a patented Don Draper winner: “Life: Cure for the common breakfast.”

That’s the goal of this article today.

While I can’t say I’m standing here in a conference room absolutely tanked at 10 a.m. à la Don Draper, I do have some ideas to pitch to NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Earlier this week, Silver once again addressed the possibility of expansion teams heading to Las Vegas and Seattle. While nothing is official—Silver says the NBA hopes to have decisions made by the end of the year—all signs point to the NBA expanding to 32 teams in the next few years.

NEXT: Predicting the 2026–27 NBA Standings: Which Teams Will Rise, Fall and Surprise?

If (or when) Seattle lands a team, they’ll bring back the iconic green-and-gold SuperSonics. Anything else would be a devastating. But in Vegas? That team name and branding is up for a discussion.

Here are 23 potential names the NBA should consider in Vegas. Like Draper’s drunken pitch, some of these ideas are good and some are just awful. But I’m confident there’s a winner here somewhere.

Las Vegas 51ers

Team colors: Green and gold

As in Area 51, of course. The alien branding would be very cool, although it might run into some copyright issues with Victor Wembanyama’s reps.

Las Vegas Bighorns

Team colors: Navy blue and gold

Nevada’s state animal is the desert bighorn sheep, which look menacing with their big curling horns. Those would look good in a logo.

Las Vegas Coyotes

Team colors: Green, purple and black

Rest easy, NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. Let the NBA take it from here.

Las Vegas Craps

Team colors: Brown and gold

Lol. Kidding. All credit here to Sports Illustrated’s Kim Curzi for the idea in our company slack channel. I see the vision, Kim.

NBA Championship Power Rankings: Where Does Your Favorite Team Stack Up?

Las Vegas Desert Dragons

Team colors: Green and purple

This country is in desperate need of a professional sports franchise with a dragon logo. (We will never forget you, Seattle Sea Dragons.) In fact, there was almost a Dragons-themed team in the NBA. If you aren’t familiar with the story, back before they were in Brooklyn, the New Jersey Nets nearly rebranded to the Swamp Dragons in the mid-1990s but backed out of it at the last moment. Imagine what could have been. Now we can find out in Vegas.

Las Vegas Flush

Team colors: Baby blue and cream white

Like a royal flush. Get it? All right, fine. It’s a no.

Las Vegas Fortune

Team colors: Black and gold

I’m picturing a mascot that is a giant pot of gold. Or a slot machine with hands and legs that moves around like the edible Pop-Tarts Bowl mascots?

Las Vegas Highrollers

Team colors: Red and blue

Given all the issues with gambling the NBA has had in recent years, the Las Vegas Gamblers wouldn’t play. But the Highrollers is a nice loophole into the nickname that has a cool ring to it.

NEXT: One Reason to Be Excited About Each NBA Team This Season

Las Vegas House

Team colors: Purple and yellow

Why? Because the house always wins. *Crowd boos*

Las Vegas Invaders

Team colors: Dark green and silver

Another alien-themed nickname here. If Invaders doesn’t do it for you, what about Space Invaders? I might like that better.

Las Vegas Jackpots

Team colors: Black and gold

Pretty similar to the Fortune idea. You get the gist.

Las Vegas Jacks

Team colors: Blue, red and gold

This nickname actually has some momentum behind it. Former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo put together a group to bid on bringing an NBA franchise to Vegas with the nickname “Jacks,” as in the card that ranks right below the king and queen. The name “Jacks” isn’t as quite as good as the WNBA’s Aces, but it’s pretty solid. A jack sitting as the logo at center court would be sick.

Las Vegas Martians

Team colors: Maroon and gold

But instead of your classic alien logo, it would be Matt Damon struggling to grow potatoes on Mars.

Las Vegas Mirage

Team colors: Orange, yellow and black

The historic Mirage hotel closed down two years ago, so why not bring it back as an NBA team?

Las Vegas Outlaws

Team colors: Silver and black

Eh, the name Outlaws reeks of a franchise you relocated in the Madden NFL video game in 2006.

NEXT: We Simulated the 2026-27 Season 100 Times on NBA 2K27. Here Are the Results.

Las Vegas Saucers

Team colors: Dark green, lime green and silver

Saucers, as in Unidentified Flying Object. The logo would be awesome. Maybe the Flying Saucers?

Las Vegas Sinners

Team colors: Black and gold

Hear me out: The “Sin City” city edition uniforms would go so hard.

Las Vegas Sphere

Team colors: Blue and silver

At least we know where they’d play their games. Imagine the home-court advantage they’d have at the Sphere while opposing teams shoot free throws.

Las Vegas Tortugas

Team colors: Blue, green and orange

Nevada’s state reptile is the desert tortoise, a species that can live up to 80 years and can survive living underground in temperatures up to 140 degrees. That’s pretty badass. You know what’s not badass? A team named the “Turtles” or “Tortoises.” But Tortugas? Now we’re talking.

Las Vegas Tumblers

Team colors: Red, white and blue

We had to get some sort of an acrobat reference in here, right?

Las Vegas Vipers

Team colors: Green and purple

Now this nickname rolls off the tongue. Alliteration is always a winner. And the NBA has yet to embrace a snake as the center of a brand.

Anonymous scouts break down the Pacific Division: Clippers | Kings | Lakers | Suns | Warriors

Las Vegas Whales

Team colors: Navy blue, baby blue and white

This might be my favorite nickname. The NHL’s Hartford Whalers had some of the coolest branding in sports before they moved to Carolina. The whale would be a great mascot and logo, and the name is obviously referencing the high-rolling gamblers who stroll into Vegas looking to do some damage.

Las Vegas Wolfpack

Team colors: Red and black

“I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack.” O.K., probably wouldn’t work with the Timberwolves already in the league, but I had to get a quote from The Hangover in here somewhere.

PODCAST 🎧: Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.

Add us as a preferred source on Google