Origin stories: Teams that used to go by different names

Founded by the Walt Disney Co. in 1993, the Ducks were initially called the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim after "The Mighty Ducks" movie. To the dismay of Emilio Estevez and the cast of the franchise, the team adopted the simpler name "Anaheim Ducks" in 2006 after Disney sold the franchise.

The Braves have gone by many names since their inception in 1876. They launched as the Boston Red Stockings and underwent multiple name changes in Beantown, including the Red Caps, Beaneaters, Doves, Rustlers, Bees and Braves. The organization moved to Milwaukee in 1953 to become the Milwaukee Braves before making the move to Atlanta in 1966.

The Orioles launched as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901 but moved to St. Louis to become the St. Louis Browns the following season. After spending 52 seasons as the city's AL representative, the Browns departed for Baltimore in 1954. They were renamed the Orioles, rooted from a baseball team by the same name from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Known as the Charlotte Hornets from 1989-2002, the franchise was moved to New Orleans in 2004 but kept its name. As a result, the Charlotte expansion team had to adopt an alternative name when it launched three years later. The "Bobcats" were the chosen name until 2015, a year after the New Orleans franchise changed its name to the Pelicans. The "Charlotte Hornets" reclaimed their name and history from before the move to New Orleans.

The organization now known as the Chicago Bears launched in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys when it was established by the A.E. Staley food starch company. The following year, the organization moved to Chicago. After one season as the Chicago Staleys, George Halas purchased the team for $100 and moved them to Wrigley Field, and the name was changed the Chicago Bears in 1922.

Launched in 1876, the Cubs franchise has only gone by that name since 1903. During its first 14 seasons, the team was known as the Chicago White Stockings, followed by the Chicago Colts from 1890-1897 and then the Chicago Orphans from 1898-1902. The Chicago Daily News gave the team the Cubs nickname in 1903.

The Cincinnati Red Stockings launched in the American Association in 1882. They kept that name until they joined the National League in 1890, when they also adopted the shortened "Reds" nickname. The organization later became known as the "Redlegs" in 1954, likely due to the negative connotation of "red" pertaining to communism. The name change only offiically lasted for six seasons before the organization switched back to being known as the Reds.

The Cleveland baseball organization was founded as the Grand Rapids Rustlers in Michigan in 1894. After moving to Cleveland in 1900, the team cycled through several nicknames, including the Bluebirds, Blues, Broncos and Naps. Finally, the team became the Cleveland Indians in 1915.

Formerly an ABA franchise, the Nuggets launched as the Denver Larks (Colorado's state bird) in 1967 but never actually used that name on the court. Their first nickname when they played in 1968 was the Rockets. Anticipating the move to the NBA and need to change the name due to the Houston Rockets, the organization held a contest and changed to the Nuggets in honor of the Denver Nuggets basketball franchise that existed from 1948-50.

The Red Wings launched as the expansion Detroit Cougars in 1926, adopting the folded Victoria Cougars nickname. That name held until 1930, when the team was renamed the Falcons. The name stood for only two years until new owner James E. Norris renamed them the Red Wings in 1932.

The Astros launched in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45s following a naming contest. Only three seasons later, the team was renamed the "Astros" and moved into the Astrodome.

The Clippers started in Buffalo, joining the NBA as the Buffalo Braves in 1971. They departed to San Diego and became the Clippers in 1979 but had just a six-season stay before moving to L.A.

The Dodgers' move from Brooklyn in 1958 is still remembered bitterly by Brooklynites, but there is a lot of history that precedes the name. The franchise launched in the American Association in 1884 as the Brooklyn Atlantics and were also known as the Grays, Bridegrooms, Grooms, Superbas and Robins through the years before permanently becoming the Dodgers in 1932.

Initially known as the New Orleans Hornets after moving from Charlotte in 2002, the New Orleans NBA franchise eventually became the Pelicans in 2013 after Tom Benson purchased the team. The name was inspired by the Louisiana state bird and the minor league baseball team that played from 1901-1957.

The Seattle SuperSonics played in the Pacific Northwest for 31 seasons before Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sold the team to a group of Oklahoma City investors. The organization was renamed the Thunder when it arrived to OKC in 2008.

The Philadelphia Phillies baseball franchise has gone by that name since 1890, but the team had an eight-year run before that as the Philadelphia Quakers. The Phillies name is short for "Philadelphias."

Before the 76ers franchise moved to Philadelphia in 1963, it was based in Syracuse. From 1949-1963, the team was known as the Syracuse Nationals and won the 1955 NBA title, changing its name to the 76ers in 1963 in honor of the historic role of Philadelphia during the founding of America.

Initially located in Allegheny City, the franchise now known as the Pittsburgh Pirates was known as the Pittsburgh Alleghenys from 1882-1890. The franchise was renamed the "Pirates" in 1891 after being called "piratical" by an American Association official for making a sketchy personnel move involving second baseman Lou Bierbauer.

While the Kings have played in Sacramento since 1985, they've had several homes, including Rochester, Cincinnati, Omaha and Kansas City. The organization was initially known as the Rochester Seagrams as a semi-pro team in 1923 before becoming the Royals in the NBA. The Royals name remained with the move to Cincinnati in 1957, but the team was rebranded the Kings with the move to Omaha and Kansas City in 1972 to avoid confusion with the Kansas City Royals baseball team.

The Giants moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958, but they had a different name very early in their New York days. For their first two seasons, beginning in 1883, the team was known as the New York Gothams. According to legend, manager Jim Mutrie referred to the team as the Giants and the name stuck.

The Cardinals have a rich history, but they haven't always gone by that name. They launched in the National Association in 1875 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings and then went by "Browns" from 1883-1898. The organization was known as the "Perfectos" for one year in 1899, but the St. Louis Republic reported that a fan referred to the jerseys as "cardinal." From that point forward, the team adopted the Cardinals name.

Remember the Oilers? The Houston Oilers, born in 1960, moved to Tennessee in 1997 and kept their surname for two seasons before being renamed the Titans.

The Washington Nationals franchise was moved from Montreal in 2005, where they were known as the Expos. The Nationals name reclaimed the team name held by the city's former American League franchise, the Senators, who were commonly referred to as the Nationals.

The now controversial Redskins name has been in use since 1933, originally as the Boston Redskins. However, the organization was known as the Boston Braves for one year in 1932. The NFL franchise moved to Washington in 1937.

Just over 20 years ago, the Washington Wizards were known as the Bullets. The team was renamed due to the violent connotation of the "Bullets" nickname in 1997. The organization held the Bullets name since 1962 in Baltimore, but during its first two seasons (1961-62 and 1962-63), the team was known as the Chicago Packers and Chicago Zephyrs.