Ranking all current NBA mascots, from perfectly zany to fully heinous

USA Today

3 days ago

While not every NBA team has a mascot, some teams have multiple, which means that there are plenty of mascots roaming around the basketball world.
Some are a welcome addition to the hardwood while others should get punted into the sun. We decided to rank all of the representatives from each franchise, meaning that if your team has two, they're judged holistically.
Other publications might make you scroll from worst to best, but I'm not going to do that to you.
There are some truly heinous mascots in the NBA and if I were to lead with them, I'm worried you'd leave the page before getting to the good ones.
Instead, we're going to start with the best ones and work our way down as it becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
1. Denver Nuggets
NAME: Rocky the Mountain Lion a.k.a. SuperMascot Rocky (1990)
Rocky made the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2008 and was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2019.
It only takes one listen through an episode of the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast to discover why Rocky is not only the best mascot in the NBA but perhaps all of sports. Not only is he a labor negotiation hero in his own right but he is also responsible for some unforgettable moments on a basketball court, including legitimately tormenting many of Denver's opponents as a chaos agent.
More: Denver Nuggets mascot unconscious during pregame introductions
2. Orlando Magic
NAME: Stuff The Magic Dragon (1989)
Stuff was nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2025 and was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2016 and 2017.
Stuff represents everything zany and fun that fans should want out of their mascot. He is genuinely so much more than just a prop for a legendary Aaron Gordon dunk contest win. Stuff is also someone someone who did a crazy backflip dunk off of a ladder and someone who fought for revenge against known mascot hater Robin Lopez. His name is also remarkably clever. There is so much to like about Stuff the Magic Dragon, and he is a deserved Hall of Fame candidate.
More: Aaron Gordon deserved a million points for his dunks with the Magic's hoverboarding mascot
3. San Antonio Spurs
NAME: The Coyote (1983)
The Coyote made the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2007 and was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2014 and 2020.
If you are willing to forgive his admittedly crazed and freaky eyes (which he once lost in a terrifying accident), you might find a special place in your heart for The Coyote. He is willing to go the extra mile for his team, even once getting ejected from a game. He is more than eager to have a little too much fun on the court and I love him for that.
More: The Spurs mascot dressed up as Batman and chased a loose bat around the court during the Timberwolves game
4. Chicago Bulls
NAME: Benny the Bull (1969)
Benny the Bull made the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2008 and was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2019.
I think most people would agree that Benny the Bull is the gold standard for NBA mascots and for good reason: He was the first mascot in league history. But just because he is the first does not mean he is the greatest. I like that he took a stand against former Clippers owner Donald Sterling, and it's also very cool that he eventually evolved into an iconic figure in college football. Kudos to Benny for the longevity, and while it doesn't make him the greatest, it does make him one of the best.
More: The Pop-Tart mascot everyone loved was reportedly played by a beloved former NBA mascot
5. Utah Jazz
NAME: Jazz Bear (1994)
Jazz Bear made the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006 and was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2006, 2008, and 2018.
There is something effortlessly cool about Jazz Bear. Maybe it's the headband or his affinity for silly string. Another highlight was when he let "Gucci Ref" James Williams borrow his ATV to drive on the court. It is worth noting that the employee who played the mascot beginning its first year no longer had that role starting in 2019, so the vibe is different now than it was six years ago. But what hasn't changed in that period, you know?
More: Jazz mascot teaches important lesson about sportsmanship
6. Houston Rockets
NAME: Clutch The Rocket Bear (1995)
Clutch made the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2006 and was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2005, 2013, and 2021.
Whether it was dancing with Simone Biles or competing against Dwight Howard, there was always something happening with Clutch. Known as the Official Troublemaker of the Rockets, he can more easily claim that title now that Dillon Brooks is no longer with the team. Clutch deserves an honor as one of the top in the industry, even though he low key looks a bit more like a mouse than a bear.
More: The Houston Rockets mascot may be the best shooter in the NBA
7. Charlotte Hornets
NAME: Hugo the Hornet (1988)
Hugo was nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2025 and was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2006.
Hugo the Hornet looks a bit like an alien, but he's also kind of a cutie. He was designed by Cheryl Henson, whose father Jim Henson created The Muppets. Hugo is one of four mascots featured in NBA Jam Tournament Edition in 1994. It's fun that he came back to the team after a sabbatical when the franchise was in New Orleans from 2002 until 2014.
I'd prefer to ignore the existence of his alter-ego Super Hugo, though, because it would otherwise deduct points from an otherwise perfectly good mascot.
8. Washington Wizards
NAME: G-Wiz (1997)
G-Wiz is described as "a little awkward and sporadic" but "still the life of the party" on his official bio. Upon my research, I learned that it's unclear what he actually is supposed to be and I love that for him. You are one quirky dude, G-Wiz. I can't even imagine all of the hijinks we would get into if we were to ever hang out with one another. I've grown quite fond of you, you come to to me as a long lost friend.
More: WNBA star does 'The Whip', then the 'Nae Nae' with Wizards mascot in brilliant dance-off
9. Toronto Raptors
NAME: The Raptor (1995)
The Raptor, who is more than just a red version of Barney, developed a reputation for blowing out his Achilles and then triumphantly returning from his injury. He has created some other interesting headlines, too, like when he crashed a Toronto city council meeting or when he ate (???) the deputy mayor of Toronto. There are other weird moments. Occasionally shirtless, this clumsy king accidentally dropped a TV won by a fan and has filled in for Drake during the playoffs. Speaking of rappers, much like Lil Dicky, he also attempted to woo Rachel McAdams.
More: Devin Booker just had one of the wildest beefs in NBA history with the Toronto Raptors' mascot
10. Miami Heat
NAME: Burnie (1988)
Burnie is the type of mascot I would describe as appropriately odd, and what happened to him with Conor McGregor during the 2023 NBA Finals is really a bummer. He is a ball of fire with orange fur and orange feathers but a green basketball for a nose. It does not appear that he has a mouth, which I find deeply unsettling. Apparently, he is 7-foot-6, which means I'd also like him to focus less on flipping over other mascots and instead develop a little bit of his interior game and find some minutes in a frontcourt somewhere. I think a Mascot of the Year is in his future!
More: Miami Heat mascot Burnie taken to ER after Conor McGregor NBA Finals stunt gone wrong
11. Oklahoma City Thunder
NAME: Rumble the Bison (2009)
Rumble the Bison was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2009.
The official biography for Rumble features a deeply harrowing backstory with lore about his origin story: He was a bison who got lost in a tornado who was then struck by lightning (via NBA.com):
"The bolt did not destroy him, but, by the power of the god of thunder, changed him. Suddenly, he walked on two legs like a man. He possessed amazing strength and agility - he could jump higher, run faster, think more clearly than any beast.
But because he was no longer just a bison - and yet not a man - he was alone."
I'm glad that Rumble found his forever home as a mascot for the Thunder because that sounds like a really difficult life otherwise. Otherwise, though, I can't say I spend a lot of time thinking about Rumble.
12. Cleveland Cavaliers
NAME: Moondog (2003) and Sir C.C. (2010)
This was my most complicated evaluation in my mascot rankings because I genuinely like Moondog. It was really awesome that he dressed up as Froggy last season. He's giving man's best friend in a genuine way and I want to root for him.
The problem is that the man who is his best friend, Sir C.C., gives me the creeps. Take a look:
I think we can all agree that Moondog should be the only mascot for the Cavaliers and he shouldn't have to share his duties with this knockoff version of Woody from Toy Story, right?
If the team were to have two mascots, though, Whammer (the polar bear who wore wraparound sunglasses) would be a better option.
13. Milwaukee Bucks
NAME: Bango the Buck (1977)
Bango the Buck was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2010.
Named after what what announcer Eddie Doucette would say whenever a player would hit a 3-pointer, Bango has gone through many different looks over the years. He's the right level of adorable: If you were to bring a stuffed animal version of him home, he would not look out of place. But he could also intimidate the other team, too. He isn't the most exciting offering from the league, but he plays his role well.
More: Look at the Bucks mascot react to DeAndre Jordan's vicious dunk
14. Memphis Grizzlies
NAME: Grizz (1995)
Grizz was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2011.
We've reached the portion of the rankings where the mascot is just the name of the team, which is inoffensive but lacks a burst of creativity that really makes it sing. Here is a very hairy grizzly bear who represents the Grizzlies in a totally fine way. It seems he is known for climbing ladders and slamming other mascot-related things through tables as he has done it multiple times.
More: Grizzlies mascot took off clothes and danced to Ginuwine's 'Pony'
15. Atlanta Hawks
NAME: Harry the Hawk (1986)
Harry the Hawk was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2023.
We have written some outrageously strange headlines about this mascot over the years, ranging from getting catfished on Tinder to parodying an OnlyFans video. He joins Benny the Bull and Bango the Buck as some of the oldest mascots in the league. I find that Harry is slightly terrifying, but maybe that's what you're looking for from a mascot. I don't know about you, Harry. There's nothing wrong with you, and you're pretty good at your job, but there's something that makes me a bit suspicious of you.
More: Atlanta Hawks mascot's in-game balancing stunt goes terribly wrong
16. Minnesota Timberwolves
NAME: Crunch the Wolf (2003)
Crunch the Wolf was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2012.
There isn't a whole lot to say about the Timberwolves mascot except that the most exciting moment in his recent history involved an inflatable version of him rather than his actual performance. That's probably for the best though considering he previously made headlines for accidentally injuring the father of one of their former star players. His official biography says that his favorite food is bacon-wrapped bacon, which is very 2011 "Epic Meal Time" of him.
More: You didn't know you needed this video of the Minnesota Timberwolves mascots dancing to Total Eclipse of the Heart
17. Phoenix Suns
NAME: "Go" The Suns Gorilla (1980)
The Suns Gorilla made the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2005 and was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2024.
Perhaps my most controversial opinion on this list: The Suns Gorilla is not exactly my cup of tea. I do, however, love his origin story. Read this unbelievable yet somehow true background (via NBA.com):
"For the record, this mischievous mascot was born quite by accident. A messenger for Eastern Onion, a singing telegram service, came to the Coliseum during a home game dressed as a gorilla. As he left, Coliseum security suggested he do a few dances underneath the basket during a timeout and the fans loved it. So did the messenger, who kept coming to games until he was officially invited to be part of the team."
That kind of rocks and is way more fun than the reported sunflower costume the team apparently considered.
18. Indiana Pacers
NAME: Boomer a.ka. The Pacers Panther (1990)
Boomer made the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2019.
If you asked most fans "What kind of animal is the Pacers mascot?" they would probably struggle to find an answer. But here is the problem: If you showed them a picture of the guy, I'm willing to bet that most would still likely not get that this dude was a panther. I just told you that he was a panther and by the end of this sentence you're probably going to forget again. I much preferred Bowser, who was their funny little gray dog that was a part of the franchise from 2002 until 2010. Much like Bill Bradley or Calvin Murphy, I'm not entirely sure how he made his Hall of Fame.
More: The Pacers mascot went on a trampoline and lost his (mascot) head
19. Sacramento Kings
NAME: Slamson the Lion a.k.a. Felinus Entertanus Maximus (1997)
According to his official bio, "he was acquired" by scouts "while taking a cat-nap under a tree" so I hope he was OK with that. I think that a lion is a more appropriate mascot for the Kings than actual royalty because human mascots make me very uncomfortable. A few years ago, Slamson recently led a cultish ritual involving four other NBA mascots (Benny, The Coyote, Franklin, and Blaze) and two non-NBA mascots (including Sacramento's G League mascot Dunkson) to light the beam. It was bizarre and awesome. He gained some points for not welcoming the gimmicky "Roy Al" mascot last season.
More: The Kings turned the beam ceremony into a religious experience with a strange mascot ritual
20. Detroit Pistons
NAME: Hooper a.k.a. Mighty Mighty Hooper (1996)
I almost kind of like that Hooper is supposedly a horse but also somehow looks absolutely nothing like a horse and instead some mythical blue and red creature. Hooper is mostly known for getting beat up by NBA players, including (not shockingly) Robin Lopez. Hooper is a major improvement over the 1990s mascot Sir Slam-A-Lot, but overall, he is quite forgettable.
More: NBA players keep beating up the Detroit Pistons mascot
21. Philadelphia 76ers
NAME: Franklin the Dog (2015)
Something about a blue anthropomorphic dog standing upright does not sit right with me and it feels oddly disturbing. Despite how fun it was for him to trade trick shots with Luka Dončić, I'm sorry to say that I'm out on Franklin the Dog. He is clearly the worst mascot in the otherwise top-tier mascot city of Philadelphia. This is my formal pitch for the 76ers to bring back the far weirder creature named Big Shot (who represented from 1982 until 1996) or Hoops, who looked like he belonged on Sesame Street.
More: 76ers snap 7-game losing streak thanks to elite defense from Philly's mascot (seriously)
22. Portland Trail Blazers
NAME: Blaze the Trail Cat (2002) and Douglas Fur (2023)
I have no problem with Blaze The Trail Cat except for the fact that he is fairly forgettable. In fact, the Trail Blazers probably recognized that because a couple years ago, they decided to add a new mascot into the rotation.
Douglas Fur, pictured above handing out with comedian Ian Karmel, is far from forgettable. I'd say that this guy solved one problem but created a new one. Douglas, who is named after the Douglas Fir tree popular to the Pacific Northwest, is weird. But that's part of the city's identity, right? He knows his lane role: Keep Portland Weird.
23. Los Angeles Clippers
NAME: Chuck the Condor (2016)
Chuck the Condor was NBA Mascot of the Year in 2022.
To his credit, some people probably love Chuck the Condor. Sadly for him in these rankings, however, I'm not one of those people. As we once wrote at For The Win several years ago, Chuck is a "disgrace". Remember that time Chuck greeted everyone he met at his first game with a free pair of Chuck Taylor shoes? It was all downhill from there. The good news, however, is Steve Ballmer did not let Ye (formerly Kanye West) design the mascot, which is a concept that was actually briefly considered.
More: Steve Ballmer dunks, Clippers debut strange-looking condor mascot on same night
24. Brooklyn Nets*
NAME: N/A
As the singer Kenny Rogers once wrote: You've got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them. The Nets got rid of the BrooklyKnight (who For The Win once described as an "unequivocal disaster") as well as New Jersey's Duncan the Dragon, Super Dunk, and Sly the Silver Fox. Now, they have no mascot whatsoever. Pictured above is their old mascot, Sly.
25. Golden State Warriors*
NAME: N/A
Golden State had some unfortunate luck with mascots, retiring Berserker in 1997 and the unfortunately-timed Thunder (when it became the name of a rival NBA team) in 2007. Above, you can watch a weird video that the team released explaining what happened to its former mascot.
More: Damian Lillard told a great story about seeing the Warriors' old mascot when he was a little kid
26. Los Angeles Lakers*
NAME: N/A
There is some dignity and class to the Lakers never even attempting to have a mascot. It is worse than having a bad one! Instead, let's take a moment to remember that time in 2013 when a fan dressed up as a bear and pretended to be a mascot at Dodger Stadium. Maybe under new ownership, the Lakers can find this guy and get him full-time employment.
27. New York Knicks*
NAME: N/A
Like the Lakers, the Knicks have never embarrassed themselves with a mascot that aged poorly or humiliated the franchise. Instead, they have celebrities like Spike Lee who take care of the duties that would otherwise usually get assigned to a mascot. By the way, it is worth noting that New York's G League team has a mascot (a dog who is named Hudson Knickerbocker) and might deserve a call-up to the NBA squad.
28. Boston Celtics
NAME: Lucky a.k.a. Lucky the Leprechaun (2003)
I'm sorry but your mascot should not look like he plays backup point guard in the G League and decided to do some last-minute Halloween costume shopping. The original logo is classic but the human is just not cutting it.
29. Dallas Mavericks
NAME: Champ (2002) and Mavs Man (2000)
I like Champ, although the Mavericks can't seem to decide whether or not he has white hair or green hair.
As much as I like that horse, though, I don't like MavsMan.
You're scaring the kids, Mavs Man, and I don't think you should exist.
30. New Orleans Pelicans
NAME: Pierre T. Pelican (2013) and King Cake Baby (2014)
Even though I usually don't like birds, Pierre is fine, although a bit underwhelming. Here is what we wrote about him in 2014:
"It's not awful, but it has no edge. His eyes don't drill holes into your very essence. The beak is friendly, not demonic. There's no real material for the Photoshop artists of Twitter to work with. You can't superimpose this Pierre's face onto horror-movie monsters and give it nearly the same gravitas as the original."
I spoke too soon about the scaring the kids, though. The other New Orleans mascot, King Cake Baby, is so much scarier than the rest of the mascots in the league combined.
Whatever this is feels illegal and I don't like it one bit.
The league has no place for this monstrosity.
More: The Pelicans' creepy King Cake Baby mascot was roasted with all of your 'Mean Tweets'