An image from the flyer for the Jan. 29 game celebrating the New Jersey Swamp Dragons. Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Nets
Sept. 2, 2026 Updated 2:06 pm EDT
The Brooklyn Nets are refurbishing a bit of history … sort of.
The franchise announced Wednesday that it will have a “Swamp Dragons” night this season, celebrating a moment three decades ago when the then-New Jersey Nets nearly changed their name as part of a rebrand initiative that ultimately wasn’t approved.
The themed night, which will take place Jan. 29 against the LA Clippers and feature a bobblehead giveaway, is one of six “Eras Nights” the franchise will hold throughout the upcoming season to honor players, teams and milestones that have helped make up its 60-year history, dating back to the ABA. The other nights include an ABA-themed celebration on Nov. 18, a 1980s night on Dec. 18, a 1990s night on Jan. 9, a 2000s night on March 15, and a “Hello Brooklyn” celebration on March 31 that commemorates the team’s move to the borough in 2012.
They will also unveil a 60th anniversary logo that will incorporate iterations of the franchise’s previous eras.
What are the Swamp Dragons, you ask? In 1995, the franchise nearly changed its name to the New Jersey Swamp Dragons after team president Jon Spoelstra (the father of current Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra) introduced a new branding concept to then-NBA creative director Tom O’Grady. The Nets’ attendance was woeful in the mid-1990s, and Spoelstra believed his organization was struggling to get out of the shadows of the New York Knicks after moving from Long Island to New Jersey in 1977.
The name, logo and color change received 26 of 27 votes for approval from the owners on the NBA’s board of governors. The one owner who didn’t approve, therefore stopping the rebrand? David Gerstein, a Nets co-owner who had the vote that day and changed his mind despite all seven of New Jersey’s owners previously agreeing to the rebrand before the board of governors meeting.
Now, more than 30 years later, the Nets and their fans will be able to see what could have been.
Sep 2, 2026
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