NBA The cup tournament starts on October 31, and yesterday the league revealed what all 30 courts will look like for the games. In the past, these courts have received a lot of attention due to their eye-popping design, with players criticizing how difficult they are to play on or, in one case, because Dallas Mavericks could never play on their own court due to production problem.
But this is the third year of the NBA Cup courts, and since there were no problems with last season's courts, they seem to have dealt with any problems. This new series of courts will give us some of the most creative designs we've ever seen – from good to flashy – which will undoubtedly spark a whole new round of conversations around them.
Now that we know what each court looks like, it's only fair to evaluate all 30 floors you'll see over the next few weeks.
The ransom note font mixed with an extremely aggressive shade of red makes it the worst of the bunch.
The Lakers forcibly using yellow marker in their color scheme have officially gone too far. If it were real gold it might be higher, but it's too bright.
I don't like the brightness of the yellow, but I'm glad they at least didn't go with the red. The Heat usually always bring it with their jerseys, so I'm surprised it's so tacky.
I don't know why the Timberwolves keep pushing this shade of Mountain Dew green on us when they could use literally any other acceptable color of theirs to do it.
I don't understand the changing shades of the red checkered solution. It's like one of those TikTok posts that pops up when you know you've been scrolling too long, asking you to find which shade is different from the rest.
Red, but with lasers! They could do a spaceship takeoff or something like that. It's just minimal effort.
The wine color is more flattering than other shades of red, but when combined with the design it gives the impression that it will look very busy when you look at it in person or on TV.
Of the red courts, this is one of the best, and still not very good. The red color is so overpowering, but the giant Hawks logo at center court makes it stand out.
Why are there so many red courts this year? Not as harsh a shade, but it's literally the worst color you can choose when the basketball is orange. Either way, it's superior to other red courts because the shade of red isn't as aggressively bright and they have a fun, massive logo that takes up the entire court.
I often have an issue with how bright the Warriors court is due to the combination of light wood and the predominant use of gold, so this is a nice change of pace. It's boring, but I'd rather watch it than a bright red court.
Also boring, but with a chevron pattern. It also isn't too different from the gray wood courts the Nets have used in the past for non-NBA Cup games.
This court should be purple. It won't look good on TV when people try to follow basketball and realize it's hard when it gets lost in that sea of orange.
Again, this yard should be purple! “Kings” get points for all the lines that form the crown, which is very nice.
A fiesta style trial would be much cooler. Instead, we get entry with minimal effort. But when you have Victor Vembanyamayou can afford to do pretty basic things on things like the NBA Cup court. However, the giant logo is a bonus.
Our retro Grizzlies Cup court, painted in the colors of this year's classic jersey, was stolen. This gray is just sad, it might have looked better if it had been lavender instead of the court color.
If you're going to use gray, this is it. The dotted lines create the logo at center court, and when you look at the entire court it looks like it's raining, which we know happens quite often in Portland.
Much better to use green than in Minnesota. It's similar to the Memphis court, but the green makes it more interesting.
13. Dallas Mavericks
Blue is good, but here's another team that should use their retro logo as their main logo because it would look so cool with a little “M” logo with a cowboy hat hanging off it.
Thanks to Detroit for not using red. The big “313” on center court is cool, the blue isn't too bright, and the black background makes it easier to see.
I like that the Clippers are really paying attention to the whole boat thing while updating their brand. The “Make Waves” text on the sideline is a nice touch, and the center court logo makes it seem like the boat is heading straight towards you.
New Orleans has one of the worst jerseys in the league, but they did a good job here. Angry Pelican is very menacing and goes well with red.
Another team in poor form who did a good job. If you haven't noticed, I love blue courts and this navy color looks great. The basketball backboard at center court is a nice touch and the orange isn't overpowering.
With a matching shade of green, dual antlers that extend to the center of the court, and a gold “Fear the Deer” slogan on the sideline, it's a solid design.
The bright red color isn't my favorite, but the circle of stars, the “Brotherly Love” slogan on the sideline, and the hint of blue make up for it.
Now we are entering the territory of the elite. Yes, it's gray, but it's a vast improvement over the cherry red court the Bulls had the last two seasons. The inclusion of the six-pointed stars that feature prominently on the Chicago city flag is a great local flavor, and I'm glad that the only place we “see red” on this court is center court with the “Chicago” logo.
Another gray court that knows what it's doing. Magic is the only team that does three-color backgrounds, so you know whoever designed this really put their time in here. The stars, even the gray ones, look very cool and aren't too distracting despite the rather busy design.
You really can't beat the famous Manhattan skyline. It would be even better if the horizon line was a light orange color to make it stand out, but it's still a great design. It's simple, classic but not boring and speaks volumes about how iconic the city is.
Finally purple! The Jazz may be in the lottery this season, but they will have some of the best jerseys and now the court. Everything is perfect in this court. Shades of purple, the decision to use black as the background, and a gradient Utah logo on center court. I'll turn on a jazz game during a seasonal tournament to catch a glimpse of this court.
Charlotte has arguably the best color scheme in the league, which is why they always rank incredibly high on these lists. The honeycomb pattern with turquoise color is very well done. The tagline “This Hive Lives” makes it even more terrifying, and the dark purple background in the background ties it all together.
Instead of a pattern or logo, the Pacers used a slogan as the focal point of their court. “Boom Baby” looks amazing here and I'm so glad they chose blue instead of gold because it would have looked terrible. For those who don't know the history of the “Boom Baby” slogan, it was an iconic phrase from former Pacers player, coach and color commentator Bobby Leonard. The Indiana native screamed “Boom, baby” every time a Pacers player made a 3-pointer.
His wife, Nancy Leonard, who was the Pacers' assistant general manager from 1976 to 1980, died in September. Nancy, like Bobby, was a Pacers icon who, even after no longer with the organization, remained close to the team and was regularly seen behind Indiana's bench at home games. The decision to use this as the court design was undoubtedly made as a way to honor Leonard's family and all they have done for the Pacers organization.
