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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Charles Curtis

25 pro sports franchises you may have forgotten relocated from another city

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

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

They played seasons in Chicago and St. Louis before moving to Phoenix in 1988.

2
Indianapolis Colts

(AP)

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

STEVE SCHAEFER/AFP via Getty Images

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

(Photo by Brian Masck/Getty Images)

The Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997.

6
Brooklyn Nets

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

They played in New Jersey from the 1977-78 season through 2012.

7
Golden State Warriors

(AP)

They started as the Philadelphia Warriors.

8
Los Angeles Clippers

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

They were once the Buffalo Braves.

9
Los Angeles Lakers

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)

What’s the land with all the lakes? Yep, they were in Minneapolis until 1960.

10
Memphis Grizzlies

(AP Photo/Frank Gunn)

They called Vancouver home until the end of the 2000-01 season.

11
Oklahoma City Thunder

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Clay Bennett infamously moved the team from Seattle to Oklahoma City.

12
Utah Jazz

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

They came from New Orleans, where jazz was born!

13
Atlanta Braves

Milwaukee Braves’ pitcher Warren Spahn pitching in Game 1 of the ’58 World Series

They had stops in Boston and Milwaukee.

14
Los Angeles Dodgers

(Photo by Curt Gunther/Keystone/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

You may recall they once called Brooklyn home.

15
Minnesota Twins

Walter Johnson in 1924. (AP)

They were once the Washington Senators.

16
San Francisco Giants

(AP)

The former New York Giants moved West in 1958.

17
Oakland Athletics

(AP Photo)

There were previous stops in Philadelphia and Kansas City.

18
Washington Nationals

(AP Photo/Andre Forget)

They were the Montreal Expos until 2004.

19
Arizona Coyotes

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

OK, this one will get confusing in a sec — they were relocated from Winnipeg, where they were the Winnipeg Jets.

20
Winnipeg Jets

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

THIS version of the Jets used to be the Atlanta Thrashers, who moved up north in 2011.

21
Calgary Flames

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

They played in Atlanta until 1980.

22
Carolina Hurricanes

AP Photo/Richard Mei

They played in Hartford as the Whalers until 1997.

23
Colorado Avalanche

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

They were the Quebec Nordiques until 1995.

24
Dallas Stars

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

They were the Minnesota North Stars until 1993.

25
New Jersey Devils

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

They were the Kansas City Scouts, Colorado Rockies and then the Devils in 1982.

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