Brooklyn Nets to host ‘Swamp Dragons Night’ during 2026-27 ‘Era’ series

Taylor Swift had the “Eras Tour.” Now, the Brooklyn Nets have “Era Nights.”

For Nets fans of all ages, Barclays Center is becoming a celebration of the franchise’s past, present and future in the coming season with six different celebrations. The biggest surprise? The Nets will host Swamp Dragons Night on January 29, 2027, when they face the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center. The event is part of the Nets’ six-night 2026-27 Era Nights series celebrating different periods in franchise history.

In 2016, Zach Lowe uncovered the story behind the Nets’ nearly becoming the “Swamp Dragons” in an exclusive ESPN feature, revealing a treasure trove of photos of uniforms, logos, court designs and merchandise created for the proposed rebrand that had never seen outside dusty trademark applications.

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Appropriately, Lowe broke the news before the Nets sent out official word…

The Nets were struggling to attract fans and sell merchandise in New Jersey, and then-team president Jon Spoelstra was searching for a way to give the franchise a new identity. The idea he landed on? The Swamp Dragons — inspired by the Meadowlands and the era of colorful, cartoonish NBA logos.

And the Nets didn’t just kick the idea around. They went all the way in.

The NBA spent $500,000 protecting the Swamp Dragons name and related marks. The team settled on a teal, purple and black color scheme, commissioned new logos and developed uniforms, court designs, shooting shirts and warmups.

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Then, it all fell apart because of the Nets! Even after the NBA’s Board of Governors voted 26-1 to approve the name change, the Nets themselves had voted against it. The one dissenting vote was their own!

More than three decades later, the Swamp Dragons are finally getting their night in Brooklyn. Will they play in Swamp Dragon uniforms? Bet on it!

The Brooklyn Nets Era Nights Series

The Brooklyn Nets’ 2026-27 Era Nights series will celebrate six distinct periods in franchise history, from the team’s ABA roots and Julius Erving era to the move to Brooklyn and the back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances of the early…

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Publish date : 2026-09-02 17:01:00

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