Every NBA team has a custom hashtag that shows up with an emoji when you tweet it out. Here’s all 30 teams and the emoji and hashtag combination they selected.
Ranking all 30 NBA teams’ new Twitter hashtags and emojis
Let’s rank them.
The really good ones
1. #WeTheNorth (Toronto Raptors): It doesn’t matter that the Raptors aren’t actually the northernmost team in the NBA. They’ve owned #WeTheNorth. It’s on flags, and signs, and it’s synonymous with Toronto now. You can’t watch this video and come away thinking any other hashtag approaches this one.
2. #RipCity (Portland Trail Blazers): Former play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely apparently coined this term and it has lasted with the Blazers since he did it in 1971. He didn’t know exactly what it meant, and neither do I. But longevity matters here, and everyone knows Portland is Rip City.
3. #DetroitBasketball (Detroit Pistons): DEEEE-troit BAAAAASKET-ball.
When that’s Kobe Bryant’s lasting memory of your stadium, then you know it’s more than a throwaway line.
4. #GrindCity (Memphis Grizzlies): Look, the Grizzlies employ Zach Randolph and Tony Allen at the same damn time. They aren’t joking ‘bout this.
5. #LakeShow (Los Angeles Lakers): We could take three paragraphs to describe what’s happening in this gif below.
Or just say, “Just a couple Lakers bros. #LakeShow.” That gets exactly what’s happening across real quick.
6. #SacramentoProud (Sacramento Kings): The Kings almost moved out of Sacramento a few years ago, and a huge push from their fanbase prevented that from happening. These people really care, and it’s very cool that the Kings busted out a hashtag to reflect just that.
The good-not-great ones
T7. #OwnTheFuture (Milwaukee Bucks) and #PowerOfThePack (Minnesota Timberwolves): I should dislike these more than I do. Hashtags should be short and snappy, and these are not. But I love them anyway, and you cannot stop me from loving them. The Bucks just went with a dope-ass catchphrase that makes sense with their young core, while the Timberwolves directly referenced their name. Either way, I’m into it.
9. #MADEinPHILA (Philadelphia 76ers): I’m afraid if I put Philadelphia any lower, the Philadelphia fans I work with will be after me.
10. #DubNation (Golden State Warriors): Say #DubNation and I immediately know what team you’re talking about. Maybe 73 wins and a championship is the only reason I know that — but who cares, brand recognition is the key here.
11. #BuzzCity (Charlotte Hornets): Charlotte doesn’t have Golden State’s notoriety, but I feel like #BuzzCity could catch on just like #DubNation if they ever became a powerhouse. It’s short, catchy, doesn’t explicitly mention the city or the team name, but it’s still easy enough to identify who the hashtag’s talking about.
12. #MileHighBasketball (Denver Nuggets): My favorite part of this is that they skipped the team’s main logo in favor of the very cool alternate logo pickaxes.
13. #TrueToAtlanta (Atlanta Hawks): Honestly, I expected more out of the Hawks. This slogan is fine, it gets the job done and it reps Atlanta, which are three good things. But we’ve repeatedly talked about how good the Hawks’ social media team is (specifically their Twitter) and I guess I just expected them in the top five by default. But hey, you can’t bat 1.000.
14. #MFFL (Dallas Mavericks): It’s a cool fan slogan — Mavericks Fans For Life — that’s been around the team forever, but it hasn’t really caught on like #WeTheNorth, so I’m afraid that not enough people actually know what it means.
The boring as hell ones
T15. #WeArePHX (Phoenix Suns), #GoSpursGo (San Antonio Spurs), #ThunderUp (Oklahoma City Thunder) and #BullsNation (Chicago Bulls): Terribly dull, all of them.
19. #ItTakesEverything (Los Angeles Clippers): A much more poorly executed version of the Timberwolves’ and Bucks’ hashtags above. Some rejected Clippers pitches: #GiveItAllYouGot, #JustTryHard, #TryToPlayGood and #YouNeedToScoreMorePointsThanTheOtherTeam.
20. #HEATisOn (Miami Heat): This is so corny, guys.
21. #LetsGoMagic (Orlando Magic): A versatile hashtag that can also be used by hardcore Harry Potter fans.
22. #Celtics, #Pelicans, #Knicks: At least the Celtics and the Knicks have been around for long enough that they can claim they’re “too cool” for hashtag slogans. OK buddies, y’all keep telling yourself that. What’s your excuse, Pelicans?
25. #Rockets50 and #GoPacers (Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers): 50 years of basketball is a cool thing! Do you really need to celebrate it with a hashtag? Aim for a slogan that’s still useful by this time next year, please. That would help all of us. (The Pacers’ isn’t in the name, which is nice, but it’s in the emoji. Also, even if it wasn’t 50, #GoPacers? That’s the best option we have here?
The ones that just aren’t too great
27. #BrooklynGrit (Brooklyn Nets): The grittiest thing about the Nets is anyone who watches a full 48 minutes of them playing basketball this year.
28. #TakeNote (Utah Jazz): I get it! It’s clever! Utah’s primed for a big year where they want you to take note of them, and they’re the Jazz, which is made up of musical notes. It’s too clever for a hashtag. It’s also a generic enough phrase that random people hashtag this all the time. Here’s a quick sampling.
Those were all sent on the same day, even. I’ll give the Jazz points for effort, but I’m not convinced this one will work out for them.
29. #DefendTheLand (Cleveland Cavaliers): Why do you need to defend it? Trust me, no one is trying to get into Cleveland.
30. #DCFamily (Washington Wizards): I don’t get it.
