The most ambitious novelty of the NBA runs into an unexpected enemy: the portable courts of the Cup tournament. Valued in millions of dollars and created for television marketing, the brand new courts of this basketball format in the US slip so much that they anger the big stars.
The NBA Cup, introduced in the 2023-2024 season as a mid-season tournament to capture economic incentives for an already very saturated competition, has its own courts to elevate its status as show media.
With a unique design for each of the 30 teams competing, the brilliance that shines like a television showcase collides with its own paradox.
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The league spares no expense, estimated at millions of dollars, to present portable surfaces that move away from the classic parquet and sport new colors, distinctive patterns, as well as an exclusive design that differentiates them from the rest of the competitions.
“The unique playing surface during this Emirates Cup tournament carries the brand and keeps it in the minds of the public. We want people who turn on the television to stop and know that it is an Emirates Cup game,” said John Prater, founder of basketball floor manufacturing company Praters Flooring, in statements reported by Athletic Business.
This aesthetic ambition with an unprecedented visual identity comes from a collaboration of the NBA with specialists in high-performance courts and that comes to life with the design of artist Victor Solomon for the second consecutive year.
For the third edition of this tournament, Solomon explained to the NBA that it was based on taking the main color of each team “and, in some way, graduating it through different phases.”
However, aesthetics come up against practicality: the paint and finish provide teams like the Los Angeles Lakers with a vibrant field in which their gold and purple tones pay homage to their history, they in turn become the greatest danger for the players, who notice the absence of the vital grip for braking and jumping.
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A risky spectacle for the NBA
This not only affects their performance in the game, but also represents a safety problem that players such as Slovenian star Luka Doncic have already complained about, who recently showed his concern about the quality of the court used by the Los Angeles team in the derby against the Clippers.
“I noticed it right away when warming up. It was a strange sensation. Like oily, slippery,” said his teammate Rui Hachimura.
What was born as a visual showcase for television has opened an uncomfortable front for the NBA, which after Doncic’s complaints ordered the Angelenos to play on their usual court until further notice, an unusual gesture until now.
The Lakers’ brand-new NBA Cup home court is expected to shine again for their December 10 quarterfinal matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.
“I appreciate that the Lakers and the league did us a favor. I talked about that, so I thank them for changing the court, and allowing us to be healthy,” Doncic said last week after the game against the Mavericks, his former club.
With information from EFE
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