1. Bango the Buck, Milwaukee Bucks
Bango has been part of the Bucks organization since 1977 and is probably one of the most athletic mascots in the league. Yes, the clip above was uploaded when Giannis Antetokounmpo was still a teenager playing for a youth team in Greece. But this is still the best mascot dunk we've seen in the history of mascot dunks.
2. Benny the Bull, Chicago Bulls
Benjamin T. Bull has been the official Chicago Bulls mascot for over 4 decades. In terms of popular Bulls personnel, he's up there with the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. He's a nominee because he single-handedly beat all the other Chicago pro sports team mascots in a thrilling 3 round gauntlet on his birthday.
3. Clutch the Bear, Houston Rockets
Clutch is a pretty young mascot compared to both Bango and Benny as he was only introduced in 1995. We admit that Clutch being a bear doesn't make sense to us considering that he is part of an organization called the Rockets. But Clutch has had some of the best fan interactions in the league like that viral failed proposal video (which was most likely staged, but who cares?) from a few years back. This season, Clutch upped his pop culture relevance by kneeling down in front of Daenerys Targaryen who was watching the game.
4. Go the Gorilla, Phoenix Suns
Speaking of mascots that don't make sense, Go the Gorilla just might be the one that makes the least sense of all. According to official league history, a singing telegram messenger in the 80s came into the Phoenix Suns' home court dressed as a gorilla. When arena security saw him, they thought it would be fun to have him dance during one of the timeouts. The rest is history. Go the Gorilla is one of the most hilarious mascots in the NBA and is arguably the most entertaining overall.
5. Drake, Toronto Raptors
Drake has been the Raptors' mascot since Game 3 of this year's Eastern Conference Finals. He is the only NBA mascot to have multiple worldwide #1 hit songs. His most famous routine involves massaging the shoulders of the current head coach and doing awkward motions on the sidelines. We bet we'll see more of him in the NBA Finals where he will face off against his rival mascot:
And the winner is...
Clutch the Bear, Houston Rockets
His reverence to the Khaleesi put Clutch in the running for this award but the fact that he was holding a Starbucks cup (which was pure genius if you ask us) was what put him on top. Congratulations, Clutch!