NBA team colors are the primary and secondary brand colors each of the 30 clubs uses on uniforms, courts, and merch. The table below lists all 30 with the HEX values published in team brand guides or repeated in widely cited references. Use them as a starting point for fan gear and spirit shirts, then proof on the actual blank, because no HEX code prints exactly the same on cotton.
- Teams
- 30 for the 2025 to 26 season
- Most common primary
- Some shade of blue, then red
- Recent rebrands
- LA Clippers (2024), Utah Jazz (purple, phased in through 2025 to 26)
- Best print method for small runs
- DTF, full color with no screens
All 30 NBA team colors with HEX codes
Teams are listed alphabetically. Primary is the color the club leads with. Secondary is the main supporting color. Most teams also have a third or fourth accent (silver, black, white) that we left out to keep the table readable.
| Team | Primary | Secondary | HEX values |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | Hawks Red | Volt Green | #E03A3E / #C1D32F |
| Boston Celtics | Celtics Green | Celtics Gold | #007A33 / #BA9653 |
| Brooklyn Nets | Black | White | #000000 / #FFFFFF |
| Charlotte Hornets | Hornets Purple | Teal | #1D1160 / #00788C |
| Chicago Bulls | Bulls Red | Black | #CE1141 / #000000 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Cavaliers Wine | Cavaliers Navy | #860038 / #041E42 |
| Dallas Mavericks | Royal Blue | Navy Blue | #00538C / #002B5E |
| Denver Nuggets | Midnight Blue | Sunshine Yellow | #0E2240 / #FEC524 |
| Detroit Pistons | Red | Royal Blue | #C8102E / #1D42BA |
| Golden State Warriors | Warriors Blue | Golden Yellow | #1D428A / #FFC72C |
| Houston Rockets | Red | Black | #CE1141 / #000000 |
| Indiana Pacers | Pacers Blue | Yellow | #002D62 / #FDBB30 |
| LA Clippers | Naval Blue | Ember Red | #0C2340 / #C8102E |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Lakers Purple | Gold | #552583 / #FDB927 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Beale Street Blue | Midnight Navy | #5D76A9 / #12173F |
| Miami Heat | Red | Yellow | #98002E / #F9A01B |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Good Land Green | Cream City Cream | #00471B / #EEE1C6 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | Midnight Blue | Lake Blue | #0C2340 / #236192 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | Pelicans Navy | Pelicans Red | #0C2340 / #C8102E |
| New York Knicks | Knicks Blue | Knicks Orange | #006BB6 / #F58426 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Thunder Blue | Sunset | #007AC1 / #EF3B24 |
| Orlando Magic | Magic Blue | Silver | #0077C0 / #C4CED4 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Blue | Red | #006BB6 / #ED174C |
| Phoenix Suns | Purple | Orange | #1D1160 / #E56020 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Red | Black | #E03A3E / #000000 |
| Sacramento Kings | Purple | Gray | #5A2D81 / #63727A |
| San Antonio Spurs | Silver | Black | #C4CED4 / #000000 |
| Toronto Raptors | Red | Black | #CE1141 / #000000 |
| Utah Jazz | Mountain Purple | Midnight Black, Sky Blue | Not published |
| Washington Wizards | Navy Blue | Red | #002B5C / #E31837 |
Two notes on the table. The Clippers dropped their old red and royal look in February 2024 when they moved toward the Intuit Dome, and the new set is commonly listed as Naval Blue, Ember Red, and Pacific Blue (#418FDE). The Jazz brought purple back under a "Mountain Basketball" identity, with the team naming Mountain Purple, Midnight Black, and Sky Blue as the official colors. The Jazz have not published HEX values for those names on their brand page, so we left the codes out instead of guessing.
Teams that look alike on a shirt
A lot of NBA palettes overlap, and that matters when you print. Three clubs (Bulls, Rockets, Raptors) are listed with the same red, #CE1141, paired with black. Put any of those on a black tee with no other cue and nobody can tell which team you mean. The Pistons, Clippers, and Pelicans also share the same red value, #C8102E. Charlotte and Phoenix both start from the same deep purple, #1D1160.
The fix is to lean on the color that is unique. For the Hornets, that is the teal. For the Suns, the orange. For the Raptors, it is usually the black with a silver or gold accent, not the red. A design that leads with the distinctive color reads as that team from across a parking lot.
Navy is not one color
Count the navies: Cavaliers Navy #041E42, Timberwolves and Pelicans #0C2340, Wizards and old Jazz #002B5C, Pacers #002D62, Mavericks #002B5E, Grizzlies #12173F. On screen they look different. On a navy Gildan or Bella+Canvas blank, they all disappear into the shirt. If the team's main color is navy, print it with a white or light outline, or pick a heather or white garment instead.
Matching ink to blanks for DTF
DTF prints a white underbase under every color, so team colors stay bright on dark shirts. That is the big advantage over plain inkjet methods. But the shirt still changes how the art reads.
- Put the team color on a neutral. Lakers purple and gold pop on black, white, or heather gray. On a purple shirt, the purple in the design vanishes.
- Use the shirt as one of the colors. A Knicks design on a royal blue tee only needs the orange and white printed. That keeps the transfer lighter and softer.
- Watch dark-on-dark. Grizzlies Midnight Navy on a black shirt has almost no contrast. Add a light stroke.
- Check the blank color names. Garment companies name colors their own way. Our guide to the best shirt colors for DTF covers which neutrals print most predictably.
HEX and Pantone are targets, not guarantees
A HEX code describes a color on a screen. Fabric is not a screen. DTF printers convert your file to CMYK plus white ink, and some saturated brand colors sit outside what CMYK can reproduce. Bright royal blues and some purples are the usual trouble spots. Expect the print to land close, not identical.
Pantone references help, but the same issue applies. Our Pantone color chart breakdown explains how spot colors translate to process printing. For a tighter match, send a small test run first and compare it under daylight next to an official jersey. Building art in the right color space also helps, which we cover in CMYK vs RGB for DTF.
Colors are free to use, logos are not
Team names, logos, wordmarks, and many slogans are registered trademarks owned by the teams and the league. Colors alone are not something a fan needs permission to wear. You can print a purple and gold shirt that says "Showtime Never Ended" in your own type, and people will get it. You cannot print the Lakers logo, the Larry O'Brien trophy art, or a team wordmark on shirts you sell without a license.
For one personal shirt, most people never hear a word. For anything sold, assume you need permission. We wrote more on where the lines are in our post on DTF transfers and copyright. As a print shop, we print what you send, but logos and names belong to their owners.
Design ideas that use color, not logos
- City name plus the team's two colors in a bold athletic font.
- Area code or street number designs (Celtics green with "617," Heat red and yellow with "305").
- Basketball court diagrams in the team palette.
- Stripes or retro bands that copy the color order of a classic jersey without any marks.
All of these print well as DTF and work on tees, hoodies, and hats. If you are making a batch for a watch party or league, order them as transfers by size or fill a gang sheet with several designs at once.
FAQ
Which NBA team colors are the hardest to print accurately?
Saturated royal blues (Mavericks, Pistons, Magic) and deep purples (Kings, Suns, Hornets) tend to shift the most, because they sit near the edge of what CMYK inks can hit. Order a test print before a big run.
Why does the Clippers table entry differ from older charts?
The Clippers changed their logo and palette in 2024. Older charts still list the previous red and royal blue values. The new palette is commonly listed as Naval Blue, Ember Red, and Pacific Blue.
Can I sell shirts in my favorite team colors?
Yes, colors on their own are fine. What you cannot use without a license are team names, logos, and trademarked phrases. Original designs in the right colors are the safe route.
What shirt color works for most NBA designs?
Black, white, and heather gray. They let both team colors show. A shirt in the team primary works too if you only print the secondary and white on it.
Print your team colors
Send us an original design in your team palette and we print it in house in Chatsworth. No minimums, and orders placed before 1PM PT ship the same business day.