The Brooklyn Nets will hold a Swamp Dragons Night on January 29, 2027, during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. This event is intended to honor the proposed team name that was considered in the 1990s but ultimately not adopted. The night will feature a bobblehead giveaway as part of the Nets' 60th season celebrations.
The Swamp Dragons name was considered when the team was based in New Jersey, as a way to attract more fans. Former Nets president Jon Spoelstra expressed his support for the name after it was a finalist for the Toronto Raptors expansion team. He noted that the swamp reference was inspired by the team's location in The Meadowlands.
Spoelstra recounted a conversation with Jim Lampariello, where he suggested the name Swamp Dragons, stating, "Dragons are mythical, and fun." However, then-NBA commissioner David Stern initially opposed the idea, calling it "the stupidest f—ing idea I’ve ever heard." Despite this, the NBA allowed the name change if all seven team owners agreed, which they did, and the league invested $500,000 to protect the name.
The proposed logo featured a dragon with teal, purple, and black colors, twirling a basketball and breathing fire. The Nets needed a supermajority from the league's owners to finalize the name change, but faced backlash regarding the term "swamp." Ultimately, the owners voted 26-1 in favor of the change, with Nets co-owner David Gerstein voting against it. He later stated that not proceeding with the name change was the right decision. The Nets eventually changed their logo in 1997 and relocated to Brooklyn, undergoing further logo changes since then.