A New Group Trying To Bring An NBA Team To Vegas Wants To Call Them The "Las Vegas Jacks" And Unfortunately That Name Absolutely Stinks

Icon Sportswire. Getty Images.

With the topic of the NBA's eventual expansion, at this point in time I think it's safe to assume the additional teams will be rooted in both Seattle (finally) and Las Vegas. For Seattle, if the league is smart, they'll just revive the Sonics in terms of their team name and branding. There's no need to overthink that one, just give the people what they want, and the people want the return of the Sonics. 

But what about Vegas? They need new everything, from branding to a name. In my opinion, the name is most important. The NBA can't swing and miss on the name of their newest franchise, and given the reports we're starting to get from the parties involved, we might have to go back to the drawing board

Las Vegas Jacks?

Giphy Images.

Giphy Images.

Sorry if this offends, but that name stinks. I'm all for adding a team in Vegas, but the Las Vegas Jacks does not exactly get the juices flowing you know what I mean? I get they may want to find a way to tie it back to Vegas, but this ain't it. The Las Vegas Aces in the W? That name works great. Las Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL? That also plays.

But Vegas Jacks? No sir. Not only that, I also don't love the logo, so for me, this is a complete swing and a miss. I do find the potential of people calling them the Vegas Jackoffs to be somewhat funny, but my guess is the league wouldn't love that.

I get that team names can be hard. Most people clowned the name when OKC got their team and named it the Thunder, and at this point that feels pretty normal and not nearly as bad as people initially thought. Is that possible for Vegas Jacks? I'm not so sure. They can't be the Kings given that name is taken by Sacramento, the Aces are out, so what could work better?

Advertisement

Off the top of my head?

Las Vegas Outlaws

Las Vegas Royals

Las Vegas Vipers/Venom

Las Vegas Rebels (plays off UNLV)

Las Vegas Gold

Are these great options? Not really, but they're certainly better than the Las Vegas Jacks. When it comes to the name of a pro sports team, it's one of those things that you just know it when you see it as to whether it works or not. When you hear Las Vegas Jacks, right away in your gut you know that shit stinks. That's how I usually judge these things. When I first hear the name, what is my first initial gut reaction? 

As a city, Vegas has obviously shown it can support pro teams. People are obsessed with the Golden Knights, the Aces are basically a dynasty, the Raiders are there, and the A's will soon be there. It's not exactly the Vegas of old when it comes to pro sports, so I have no doubt that an NBA team can not only work in that market, it can thrive. But if they move forward with the Las Vegas Jacks as a name? It feels like you're making things harder than they need to be before things even get underway.

And speaking of the NBA and Vegas, we're officially off and running with my favorite yearly event, NBA Summer League. I say it every summer, but if you're a basketball fan, there is no better experience than heading to Vegas for Summer League. The entire basketball world is there, the games are awesome, and as long as you know where to go off the Strip, the food is incredible. My personal favorite? Shanghai Taste. Look it up. If you're going to be in town for Summer League, do yourself a favor and go there. I'll warn you now, parking is an absolute disaster in Shanghai Plaza, but god damn is it worth it.