The time the Nets almost changed their name to 'Swamp Dragons'

Thanks to many factors at the time, the then-New Jersey Nets franchise almost changed its name to "Swamp Dragons" in the late 1990s, ESPN's Zach Lowe recounts.

(Courtesy: Troy Glascock/ESPN)

To make a long story short, the Nets were still playing in the swampland of East Rutherford, N.J., in the '90s - an era when bold colors like teal were popular among sports teams. When the new Toronto franchise chose the name "Raptors" over "Dragons" in 1994, the Nets became interested in the latter, according to then-team president Jon Spoelstra.

Despite drawing mock-ups, the organization eventually decided against the change. Former NBA commissioner David Stern was apparently not a fan anyways. The Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012, begging the question of how the name "Swamp Dragons" would have fit in a New York City borough now known as a gentrified hipster enclave.