Long before the Nets moved to Brooklyn, they played in the swamps of New Jersey, and once upon a time, they came oh-so-close to embracing their home by ditching "Nets" and taking on a new name: the Swamp Dragons.
Yes, it's true, and Zach Lowe tells the story of how the proposed name change came to be and then fell apart, relegated to the dust bin of history.
We don't know what the uniform for such a team would look like now, but Lowe's piece gave us a glimpse of what it would have looked like in the 1990s, and at least one current NBA player is 100 percent on board:
We at least need jerseys...we as Americans deserve that much. https://t.co/r4BFStCPRm
— Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) April 8, 2016
Robin Lopez isn't wrong here. Sure, the proposed Swamp Dragons look was wild:
But would that jersey really be so out of place in an NBA that included these looks for the Raptors and Bucks (among other ostentatious designs)?
Then again, it's entirely possible the Knicks' center has other reasons for wanting Swamp Dragons jerseys to exist. Maybe it's all part of an elaborate prank he wants to play on his brother Brook Lopez, who has been with the New Jersey/Brooklyn franchise his entire career.
Still, "Swamp Dragons" itself was far from a prank, and Lowe's detailed retelling of a nickname change that nearly took place is a must read.