Fun fact that you may not know if you’re reading this: Up until fairly recently, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Nationals didn’t exist in their current versions.
They were relocated to their current spots from other cities, which causes all kinds of heartbreak for the fans that were left behind. And then the franchise dives right into a fanbase starving for a team.
This list is for you, if you’ve forgotten that some teams relocated and where they’re from. So let’s run through a bunch of those franchises who moved, from the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB (and could the Oakland Athletics be next, with a possible move to Las Vegas?)
1
Arizona Cardinals
They played seasons in Chicago and St. Louis before moving to Phoenix in 1988.
2
Indianapolis Colts
They were the Baltimore Colts before Bob Irsay infamously moved the franchise to Indy in 1984.
3
Las Vegas Raiders
You probably know this one since the Raiders came to Las Vegas in 2020. But they shuttled between Oakland and Los Angeles before then.
4
Los Angeles Rams
Another one you may be familiar with — they moved from St. Louis, but before then, they were in L.A. after a move from Cleveland in 1946.
5
Tennessee Titans
The Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997.
6
Brooklyn Nets
They played in New Jersey from the 1977-78 season through 2012.
7
Golden State Warriors
They started as the Philadelphia Warriors.
8
Los Angeles Clippers
They were once the Buffalo Braves.
9
Los Angeles Lakers
What’s the land with all the lakes? Yep, they were in Minneapolis until 1960.
10
Memphis Grizzlies
They called Vancouver home until the end of the 2000-01 season.
11
Oklahoma City Thunder
Clay Bennett infamously moved the team from Seattle to Oklahoma City.
12
Utah Jazz
They came from New Orleans, where jazz was born!
13
Atlanta Braves
They had stops in Boston and Milwaukee.
14
Los Angeles Dodgers
You may recall they once called Brooklyn home.
15
Minnesota Twins
They were once the Washington Senators.
16
San Francisco Giants
The former New York Giants moved West in 1958.
17
Oakland Athletics
There were previous stops in Philadelphia and Kansas City.
18
Washington Nationals
They were the Montreal Expos until 2004.
19
Arizona Coyotes
OK, this one will get confusing in a sec — they were relocated from Winnipeg, where they were the Winnipeg Jets.
20
Winnipeg Jets
THIS version of the Jets used to be the Atlanta Thrashers, who moved up north in 2011.
21
Calgary Flames
They played in Atlanta until 1980.
22
Carolina Hurricanes
They played in Hartford as the Whalers until 1997.
23
Colorado Avalanche
They were the Quebec Nordiques until 1995.
24
Dallas Stars
They were the Minnesota North Stars until 1993.
25
New Jersey Devils
They were the Kansas City Scouts, Colorado Rockies and then the Devils in 1982.
