NBA franchise history: relocations and renames

What you’ll test in this quiz

Franchise history can be tricky because team names don’t always stay tied to the same city. You’ll practice matching former identities to current franchises, placing relocations in the right era, and spotting rebrand sequences that look similar across teams.

Every question uses 4 options and there’s no timer, so you can think through the timeline before you answer. You can also choose the question count and difficulty to keep it quick and casual or make it a full deep-dive.

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

A frequent mistake is mixing up expansion teams with relocated teams, or assuming a name change always means a new franchise. Another trap is confusing short-lived rebrands and temporary city labels with long-term identities.

How difficulty is balanced

Difficulty is mixed on purpose: some items are straightforward (well-known moves and renames), while others dig into less-remembered transitions and older eras. If you want a smoother run, lower the difficulty; if you want more curveballs, increase it and raise the question count.

Quick tips before you start

• Watch for city-and-name pairs that changed separately (move first, rename later)
• Don’t confuse franchise history with arena changes or conference/division shifts
• Use elimination: two options are often from the wrong era or league context
• Pay attention to “formerly known as” chains with multiple steps
• If you miss one, think in decades (70s/80s/90s/2000s) to narrow it down