Every NBA team name tells a story, some celebrate local industry, others nod to history, wildlife or the weather, and a few make no sense at all until you know where the franchise started.

Relocation has scrambled the league's naming logic. The Lakers left the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes' for Los Angeles in 1960, and the Jazz swapped New Orleans for Salt Lake City in 1979, with both keeping names that once fitted perfectly.

Fans have also played their part in shaping the league's identity too, with naming contests shaping everything from the Bucks in 1968 to the Raptors in 1994. Here's the origin and meaning behind all 30 current NBA team names, plus a few that didn't survive.

Eastern Conference

The East is home to some of the league's biggest names, and to many of the greatest NBA players of all time. Owner Walter Brown named the Boston Celtics in 1946 as a nod to the city's large Irish population, whilst the New York Knicks take their name from the 'knickerbockers', the rolled-up trousers worn by the city's Dutch settlers.

History runs deep elsewhere too. The Philadelphia 76ers honour 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed in the city. The Charlotte Hornets recall British general Lord Cornwallis, who reportedly described revolutionary-era Charlotte as a hornet's nest of rebellion.

Industry explains two of the conference's most famous names. The Detroit Pistons began life in Fort Wayne, Indiana, owned by Fred Zollner, whose company made pistons. Their move to the Motor City in 1957 made the name fit even better. The Chicago Bulls, founded in 1966, reflect the city's meatpacking heritage and its famous stockyards.

Some names are a product of their time, such as the Toronto Raptors, who were named in 1994, a year after Jurassic Park was released. The Washington Bullets became the Wizards in 1997, after owner Abe Pollin decided that the old name sat uneasily with gun violence in the city.

Then there's the Brooklyn Nets, which became the New York Nets in 1968, a name picked partly because it rhymed with two other New York teams, baseball's Mets and football's Jets.

Western Conference

Out west, relocation is a common theme. The Los Angeles Lakers are the classic case, having moved from Minneapolis, in the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes', they kept the name despite moving to California in 1960, going on to become one of the NBA teams with the most championships.

The Utah Jazz share the same quirk. The name was a natural fit in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, but the franchise made the switch to Salt Lake City in 1979. The Memphis Grizzlies started life in Vancouver, home to British Columbia's grizzly bears, whilst the Sacramento Royals became the Kings in Kansas City in 1972, because the local baseball team had already claimed the name Royals.

Other names are rooted in place, such as the Denver Nuggets, who recall the Colorado gold rush, and the Portland Trail Blazers, who honour the pioneers of the Oregon Trail. The Houston Rockets seem made for the home of NASA's mission control, but the name was actually chosen in San Diego in 1967, reflecting the city's aerospace industry. The Oklahoma City Thunder, named in 2008, is a nod to the region's powerful storms.

Defunct NBA Teams

The most-missed name in the NBA is the Seattle SuperSonics, with Seattle now one of the leading candidates for NBA expansion. Named after Boeing's planned supersonic airliner, the franchise left for Oklahoma City in 2008. Most other lost names date from the league's early years, when several founding franchises folded within a few seasons. The Indianapolis Olympians were even named after their owners' Olympic gold medals. Others vanished in rebrands, with the Washington Bullets and Charlotte Bobcats both consigned to history.