Company milestone · 1946
Ned Irish established the New York Knicks as one of the founding members of the Basketball Association of America. [1]
New York Knicks Logo
Logo files, variants & history · AI, PNG · updated 2 mo ago
File checks recorded: The file registry records a passed file-format check for each file.Editorial / reference only: Recorded use status for this logo record.
Brand profile
About New York Knicks
Professional basketball team
The New York Knickerbockers, commonly called the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They play their home games at Madison Square Garden. Ned Irish established the team in 1946 as a founding member of the Basketball Association of America, which merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to form the NBA.
The team’s first logo showed Father Knickerbocker dribbling a basketball, drawn by the cartoonist Willard Mullin. Its primary logo since 1992, the word Knicks over a basketball with a triangle behind it, was designed by Michael Doret for the NBA, whose creative director Tom O’Grady commissioned the work.
Company: National Basketball Association.
Available in this archive
New York Knicks logo files at a glance
New York Knicks has 2 downloadable files in AI, PNG in this archive. 1 logo record is catalogued; that is not the number of verified redesigns.
PNG renditions reach 3,282 pixels on the longest side.
Choose a format and size ↓File library
Files & downloads
Browse recorded formats and variants for New York Knicks. Source formats appear first, followed by raster sizes.
Available from SimilarLogo
AI · Primary
Undated record · Current
PNG · Primary
Undated record · Current
A file link or download does not grant a trademark licence or permission to reuse a logo.
Brand heritage
Logo history & brand milestones
One logo record is catalogued. The milestones below are dated separately from it.
The team’s primary logos from 1946 to the colour update of the early 2010s, as recorded in the cited sources. Later minor colour adjustments are not recorded here. Company and product dates are labelled separately from design changes.
Logo milestone · 1946
The first Knicks logo showed a character named Father Knickerbocker dribbling a basketball in blue and orange; it was designed by the New York World-Telegram cartoonist Willard Mullin and used until 1964. [1]
Logo milestone · 1964
The Knicks introduced the classic roundball logo designed by Bud Freeman: the word Knicks superimposed over a brown basketball. It was used until 1992, with minor changes such as a maroon wordmark and an orange ball. [1]
Visual identity milestone · 1979
Before the 1979–80 season the Knicks replaced royal blue and orange with navy and crimson red on their uniforms, a change initiated by team president E. Michael Burke; the championship-era uniform style returned for the 1983–84 season. [1]
Logo milestone · 1992
Before the 1992–93 season the Knicks adopted a new logo by Michael Doret: the word Knicks in block lettering over a basketball, with a silver triangle behind it. The NBA had approached Doret in spring 1991, and development took about six months. [1] [3] [4]
Logo milestone · 1995
For the 1995–96 season a New York line, also designed by Doret, was added above the logo, black was introduced as an accent colour, and an alternate subway-token logo by Doret with the letters NYK came into use. [1] [4]
Logo milestone · 2012
The 1992 logo was updated with black removed from its colour scheme; for the 2012–13 season the Knicks also introduced uniforms based on their championship-era design, with grey as the accent colour. [1] [4]
Research sources
- New York Knicks ↗ · Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-25
- Knicks ↗ · Michael Doret · accessed 2026-09-25
- From the P&T Archives: Behind the Knicks Logo with Michael Doret, Part 1 ↗ · Posting and Toasting (SB Nation), 2012-09-11 · accessed 2026-09-25
- From the P&T Archives: Behind the Knicks Logo with Michael Doret, Part 2 ↗ · Posting and Toasting (SB Nation), 2012-09-12 · accessed 2026-09-25
Compiled 2026-09-25 by AI-assisted source review. Each statement links its sources; an editor has not yet independently confirmed them.
Colour sample
Sampled artwork colours
Orange (primary sample)Primary
- HEX
- #FF7722
- RGB
- 255, 119, 34
Text contrast on white2.65:1 · Fail
Text contrast on near-black7.12:1 · AAA
Blue (accent sample)Accent
- HEX
- #0077BB
- RGB
- 0, 119, 187
Text contrast on white4.82:1 · AA
Text contrast on near-black3.92:1 · Fail
Approximate values sampled from the archived artwork file. Sampling can round colours, so these are not the owner’s published colour specification. See other orange logos →
Design context
Logo design & typography notes
Doret has said that the selected 1992 design took many of its cues from the earlier Knicks roundball logo. His sketches for the project included versions with the Empire State Building, an element that was not kept in the final logo.
The NYK token logo drew on the design of New York subway tokens, according to the 2012 interview with Doret.
From the researched record (AI-assisted source review); see research sources.
Reference
Frequently asked
Who designed the New York Knicks logo?
Father Knickerbocker logo (1946) is credited to Willard Mullin. Classic roundball logo (1964) is credited to Bud Freeman. Knicks primary logo with triangle (1992) is credited to Michael Doret. NYK subway-token secondary logo (1995) is credited to Michael Doret. The designer of the specific file version shown on this page is not recorded. [1] [2] [4]
Can I use the New York Knicks logo?
Download for identification, news and comparison. Commercial use needs the owner's permission. This page never grants a licence. Always check the owner's brand guidelines.
When did New York Knicks change its logo?
1946: The first Knicks logo showed a character named Father Knickerbocker dribbling a basketball in blue and orange; it was designed by the New York World-Telegram cartoonist Willard Mullin and used until 1964. 1964: The Knicks introduced the classic roundball logo designed by Bud Freeman: the word Knicks superimposed over a brown basketball. It was used until 1992, with minor changes such as a maroon wordmark and an orange ball. 1992: Before the 1992–93 season the Knicks adopted a new logo by Michael Doret: the word Knicks in block lettering over a basketball, with a silver triangle behind it. The NBA had approached Doret in spring 1991, and development took about six months. 1995: For the 1995–96 season a New York line, also designed by Doret, was added above the logo, black was introduced as an accent colour, and an alternate subway-token logo by Doret with the letters NYK came into use. 2012: The 1992 logo was updated with black removed from its colour scheme; for the 2012–13 season the Knicks also introduced uniforms based on their championship-era design, with grey as the accent colour. [1] [3] [4]
What file formats are available for the New York Knicks logo in this archive?
Available file formats: AI, PNG. Dimensions, source and usage conditions are listed for each file below.
Visual neighbours
No close visual matches
No other archived mark is listed as a close match; that is not a uniqueness or trademark check. The similarity check shows weaker candidates.
Same company
More from National Basketball Association
Listed because the archive records the same company.
Same industry
More Sportswear & Leagues logos
Listed because the archive records the same industry, United States first.
Provenance
Source & evidence
SimilarLogo archive files, not yet independently reviewed.
Editorial / reference only. Download for identification, news and comparison. Commercial use needs the owner's permission. This page never grants a licence.
Technical provenance
Source typeSimilarLogo archive files
Source reviewNot independently reviewed
- Source
- Not recorded
- Source date
- 2026-08-02
- Recorded by
- SimilarLogo archive import
- SHA-256
- 87c757b86bc1024e7ad651b1b0fed0a744a7dc0d4ceb08457b1b3f01fd9a0dea
SHA-256 of the recorded file. Checksums identify exact bytes, not who created the artwork.
Cite or link to this record
SimilarLogo. “New York Knicks logo record.” Updated 2026-08-27. https://similarlogo.com/brand/new-york-knicks/
Record Change log (1)
2026-08-27Imported 2 original files (1 items) from the owner's WordPress archive snapshot 2026-08-02. Rights: editorial/reference only.
These files come from SimilarLogo's archive of New York Knicks artwork (archive snapshot 2026-08-02). Formats and file details are shown in the library.
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