50 Fun Facts About Brooklyn Nets

Under what name did the Nets franchise begin play in 1967?

They were a charter member of the ABA and played in the Teaneck Armory before moving to Long Island a year later.

Which of these was NOT one of the four ABA teams absorbed into the NBA in the 1976 merger?

The Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis were left out; all four survivors remain in the league today.

Which Hall of Famer led the New York Nets to ABA championships in 1974 and 1976?

'Dr. J' was league MVP both years; the 1976 title came from a 22-point comeback at Nassau Coliseum in the ABA's final game.

To join the NBA, the Nets had to pay an 'invasion fee' of $4.8 million to which team?

The other three ABA arrivals paid nothing extra because they had no NBA neighbours; the bill forced the sale of the team's superstar to Philadelphia.

What was the immediate on-court result of the Nets selling their star's contract to the 76ers in 1976?

Owner Roy Boe had reneged on a promised raise; Erving refused to report and Philadelphia paid $3 million, roughly the Nets' NBA entry fee.

'Dr. J' got his 'Doctor' nickname from whom?

Leon Saunders coined it; Erving in turn called Saunders 'the Professor'.

Where did the Nets play for four seasons from 1977 while the Meadowlands arena was built?

The Piscataway gym held them until Brendan Byrne Arena opened in 1981; that building was later the Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center.

Which Croatian sharpshooter starred for the Nets before dying in a car accident in Germany in June 1993?

He was 28; the Nets retired his number 3 that year and he was later inducted into the Hall of Fame.

What did team president Jon Spoelstra try to rename the Nets in 1994 to shed their bad image?

The name nodded to the Meadowlands marshes; ownership backed out before it took effect.

Which power forward, 1982 Rookie of the Year, was the franchise's 1980s rebounding mainstay?

He made three All-Star teams and four All-Defensive first teams in a 17-year career.

Whom did the Nets take first overall in the notoriously weak 2000 draft?

The Cincinnati forward became a key piece of the Finals teams; Boston fans later mocked him as a 'fake' tough guy.

The June 2001 trade that brought Jason Kidd to New Jersey sent which All-Star point guard to Phoenix?

Marbury had made the All-Star team but the Nets never reached the playoffs with him starting; Kidd took them to two straight Finals.

Who swept the Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals?

Shaq and Kobe completed a three-peat; the Nets returned the next year and lost to San Antonio in six.

Which team beat the Nets in the 2003 NBA Finals?

The series was tied 2–2 before San Antonio closed it out; Kidd then re-signed citing 'unfinished business' in New Jersey.

Which team traded Vince Carter to the Nets in December 2004?

'Half Man, Half Amazing' joined Kidd and Richard Jefferson; the deal seeded a lasting rivalry with Toronto.

What did the Nets get from Dallas when they traded Jason Kidd in February 2008?

Harris made an All-Star team in New Jersey; Kidd went on to win a title with the Mavericks in 2011.

Which real-estate developer bought the Nets in 2004 with the intention of moving them to Brooklyn?

The YankeeNets group sold after failing to land a Newark arena; the Barclays Center anchored his Atlantic Yards project.

Which Russian billionaire bought a controlling stake in the Nets in a deal closed in 2010?

He later apologised in an open letter for his free-spending approach and sold the team in 2019.

Which rapper, a minority owner, announced in 2011 that the team would be the Brooklyn Nets?

He also played the first event at Barclays Center, a sold-out concert on September 28, 2012.

Where did the Nets play their final two New Jersey seasons, 2010–12?

They lost their last New Jersey game 105–87 to Philadelphia in front of a sellout of 18,711.

The Nets became the first major-league team in Brooklyn since which club left in 1957?

The 2013 grey alternate uniform used Dodger blue as a tribute.

Why was the Nets' first regular-season game at Barclays Center, against the Knicks, postponed?

The rescheduled game on November 26, 2012 was won by Brooklyn 96–89 in overtime.

What NBA landmark did Jason Kidd reach in 2013-14, his first season running the Nets' bench?

He then left for Milwaukee a year later, with the Bucks sending two second-round picks for his coaching rights.

The four picks Brooklyn sent Boston in the 2013 Garnett–Pierce trade turned into which players?

The 'superteam' of Williams, Johnson, Pierce, Garnett and Lopez lasted one season; the Celtics got a decade.

Which coach, hired in 2016, led the post-Prokhorov rebuild and resigned midway through 2019–20?

GM Sean Marks made clear the rebuild would take years; a Hall of Fame point guard with no coaching experience replaced Atkinson for the Durant era.

Kevin Durant signed with the Nets in July 2019 having just suffered what injury in the Finals?

He missed all of 2019–20; Kyrie Irving arrived the same summer and played just 20 games before shoulder surgery.

Which retired Hall of Fame point guard was hired as Nets head coach in 2020 with no coaching experience?

He was dismissed at 2–5 in November 2022 and Jacque Vaughn took over.

James Harden did what in his January 2021 Nets debut, a franchise first?

He was only the seventh player in NBA history to do it in a team debut; Durant, Irving and Harden all made the 2021 All-Star Game.

The Nets' 2021 Big Three lost a seven-game semi-final to which team, with Durant's toe on the line?

Irving sprained his ankle on Giannis's foot and Harden strained a hamstring; the Bucks went on to win the title.

Whom did the Nets receive from Philadelphia when they traded James Harden in February 2022?

Simmons did not play at all that season; Harden had requested out citing his relationship with Durant.

Which team traded Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and four first-round picks for Kevin Durant in February 2023?

Bridges was in turn flipped to the Knicks in 2024 for another haul of firsts, signalling a full reset.

Which Nets guard became the youngest to score 40-plus in three straight NBA games, in February 2023?

He did it in the immediate aftermath of the Irving and Durant trades.

Which co-founder of Alibaba became the Nets' owner in September 2019?

He and Clara Wu Tsai also own the WNBA's New York Liberty, and he became chairman of Barclays Center.

Which head coach was hired in April 2024 to steer the Nets' rebuild?

Vaughn had been fired that February and Kevin Ollie finished the season as interim; the team went 32–50.

Which Nets alternate look paid tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. with a Brooklyn camo pattern?

A white 'BED-STUY' version followed in 2019–20, referencing the neighbourhood where Biggie grew up; the camo look returned for 2025–26.

Which Nets owner of the 1970s also founded the NHL's New York Islanders?

He bought the club from Arthur Brown and moved it into the new Nassau Coliseum in 1972, before cash problems cost him Erving.

The Nets' rivalry with the Knicks has been dubbed what by some media outlets?

It echoes the old baseball rivalry between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

In the 2014 first round the Nets beat Toronto in seven games on a game-winning block by whom?

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri had cursed Brooklyn at a fan rally before Game 1 and apologised at half-time.

What did the Nets wear on the road for one season after their 1990 rebrand?

They switched to solid blue after a single season; the deeper red-and-navy look followed in 1997.

The Nets' first ABA home on Long Island, before Nassau Coliseum, was in which town?

They later used the Island Garden in West Hempstead before moving to the new Coliseum late in 1971–72.

From which team did the Nets sign Kyrie Irving in 2019, prompting duelling 'Kyrie sucks' and 'Kyrie's better' chants?

A Celtics fan threw a water bottle at him in 2021 after he stomped on the TD Garden logo.

What was the name of the New Jersey Nets' silver fox mascot introduced in 1997?

Before Sly, the Nets' mascot was an anthropomorphic dragon called Duncan.

Which comics publisher co-created the Nets' short-lived Brooklyn superhero mascot, the BrooklyKnight?

He starred in a 32-page comic written by Jason Aaron before being retired after two seasons, leaving the Nets mascotless.

Which Brooklyn-born musician wrote the 2012 team anthem 'Brooklyn: Something To Lean On'?

Its refrain features the 'Brooklyn' chant heard around Barclays Center.

Which numbered block of Barclays Center is home to the fan group the Brooklyn Brigade?

Founder Bobby Edemeka started with about 20 fans from the NetsDaily blog; the Nets later branded the section 'The BK Block'.

What does the superfan 'Mr. Whammy' do at Nets home games?

Broadcaster Ian Eagle gave Bruce Reznick the nickname; he never 'whammies' former Nets.

In which Brooklyn complex is the Nets' practice facility, opened in 2016 on a warehouse roof?

The 70,000-square-foot Hospital for Special Surgery Training Center in Sunset Park cost about $50 million.

Which D-League team was the Nets' first 'hybrid' affiliate from 2011–12?

The Detroit Pistons later bought the Armor and moved them to become the Grand Rapids Drive.

Where did the Long Island Nets, the Nets' G League affiliate, play home games from 2017?

They spent their first season, 2016–17, at Barclays Center while the Uniondale arena was renovated, then moved in for 2017–18.

Before 1998 the Nets shared practice lockers with truck drivers at a facility in which New Jersey town?

They also used Ramapo College in Mahwah; Hurricane Sandy later flooded the PNY Center in 2012.