NBA Finals 2025
Trademark: NBA
First Used: 1954
Registered: 1969
Current Owner: NBA PROPERTIES, INC. [1]
Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; design mark; non-traditional trademark; trade dress; configuration mark
Primarily Associated With: association services-namely, promoting the interest of basketball clubs and promoting interest in the game of basketball [2]
Brief (and likely incomplete) History:
The court is swept and the basketball is ready for tipoff. Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers for advancing to the 2025 NBA® Finals! Over the next few days we will be highlighting some trademark registrations celebrating the NBA’s championship game, including those owned by Oklahoma City and Indiana. Good luck to both teams!
NBA® is a registered word mark used primarily for association services-namely, promoting the interest of basketball clubs and promoting interest in the game of basketball [3], and also for toys and sporting goods, trading cards, clothing, retail clothing and sporting goods stores, posters and flags, and audio recordings and video recordings, among many other goods and services [4]. The full league name NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION® is also a registered word mark for entertainment services in the nature of rendering live basketball games and basketball exhibitions and the production and distribution of radio and television broadcasts of basketball games and exhibitions [5], and clothing, trading cards, posters, stickers, toys and sporting goods, and other goods and services [6]. If you feel like being less formal, THE ASSOCIATION® [7] is also a registered word mark, used in connection with computer game programs; computer game software and computer game cartridges; and instruction manuals sold therewith.
The NBA has one of the most famous logos in the sporting world. The NBA Logoman Logo design mark (LOGOMAN® is also a registered word mark) is a registered trademark primarily for association services; namely, promoting the interest of basketball clubs and promoting interest in the game of basketball [8], but also for clothing, entertainment services, toys and sporting goods, trading cards, stickers, jewelry, video tapes, and others [9]. The NBA also utilizes several logos during the NBA finals, including the NBA The Finals Logo [10] and the NBA Finals Logo [11], registered for clothing and entertainment and education services, respectively.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be representing the NBA Western Conference and the Indiana Pacers is representing the NBA Eastern Conference. The NBA Western Conference Logo [12] and NBA Eastern Conference Logo [13] design marks are both registered trademarks in connection with “entertainment in the nature of hockey games.”
Both teams will be vying for the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. The three-dimensional configuration of the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is a registered, non-traditional trademark, including primarily in connection with replica trophies [14].
Interested in learning more about trademarks from other 2025 sporting events? Check out our 2025 posts on College Football National Championship, Super Bowl, March Madness (and Final Four), Stanley Cup, WNBA Finals, World Series, and MLS Cup.
Copyright © 2025 by Illustrated IP, LLC. All rights reserved.
[1] National Basketball Association, https://www.nba.com/.
[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 864,034, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72287036&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] Id.
[4] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,832,819, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74415210&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,835,437, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74415222&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,833,902, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74415223&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,239,294, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75170406&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,770,670, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76182764&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,509,194, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85842623&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,206,789, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75325146&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,183,983, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75330478&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,162,201, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75330850&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,216,096, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75354178&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,291,790, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78698377&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[8] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 938,213, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=72365232&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[9] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,525,782, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73696675&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,622,682, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73819966&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,609,765, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74006340&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,715,549, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74243902&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch; USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,901,528, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74467425&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[10] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,716,960, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78662187&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[11] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 7,402,762, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=97361080&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[12] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,978,202, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74675874&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[13] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,976,449, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74675873&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[14] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 5,237,767, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86841222&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.