What NBA Players and Observers Thought of the Special Courts for the In-Season Tournament

With the NBA just having completed its first In-Season Tournament (IST), ESPN.com examines which features of the IST might remain the same and which might change in future seasons. The ESPN.com article raises seven issues, one of which being "What about those new court designs?" (click here for background on the courts). 

Reactions to the courts were generally negative, according to the ESPN.com article. One concern was that the floors, covered entirely in paint with no natural wood showing, were more slippery than typical NBA courts. In addition, "Aesthetic issues were also present. Certain courts -- specifically those that heavily featured bright reds and blues -- were difficult to take in on television." Finally, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the courts were "a bit cookie cutter." 

To me, the courts -- love them or hate them -- were just about the only noteworthy aspect of the In-Season Tournament. I suspect that once the real playoffs get underway next spring, the IST will be largely forgotten. After all, does anyone care about the NHL Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record?

Courts for Inaugural NBA In-Season Tourney

Via frequent contributor Matt Rachmiel, the inaugural NBA in-season tournament will feature special court designs that follow the same general scheme for all 30 teams, but with colors and other features unique to each team. This ESPN.com article includes thumbnail images of all 30 courts, with larger images of several of them. 

The NBA's aim is to make it immediately clear to television viewers that they are watching an in-season tournament game rather than an ordinary regular-season game (although all tournament games except the final will count in the regular-season standings). I suspect the new floor designs will succeed spectacularly in that regard, as they are unlike any courts I've ever seen.

I created the following schematic to explain the design. First, the courts will consist entirely of solid colors, with no natural wood showing. Second, there will be a large stripe through the middle of the court, taking in the keys.

Some may find the design visually overwhelming, but for its limited purpose, I think it will work nicely.

Northern Illinois Unveils Color-Asymmetric Court

Via the usual sources, Northern Illinois University has a new court. As seen at this link, at one end of the court the key and most of the out-of-bounds area are painted red, whereas at the other end, the key and most of the out-of-bounds area are painted black. For lack of a better term, I'm calling this a "color-asymmetric" court. I've probably seen one or two of these on television over the years, but NIU's is the first I'm aware of for an NCAA Division I program. The court also features an Illinois state-shape and the initials NIU at center court, based on different shades of shellac. The different shades are very subtle -- perhaps too subtle -- however.

Nevada Nixes the State Shape

Via the usual sources, the University of Nevada (Reno) has a new court design, which no longer features the large blue-outlined, solid-gray Nevada shape at center court. In addition, the keys will now be dark blue, instead of gray. This article contains photos of the new and old designs.

New York Liberty's Seven-Spike Crown

 

The WNBA's New York Liberty have a new court that features a large display of the seven spikes of the Statue of Liberty crown. The spikes run along the lower sideline, spanning from one three-point arc to the other. The design can be seen in this highlights video.

McDonald's High School All-American Game (2023)

My first two reactions were that I felt I was back in the 1970s and that I could sure use some McDonald's French fries! Note all the "Golden Arches." As if there weren't enough going on with the court, the entire area inside the three-point line is blue on the other side of the court and there's a flaming center-court circle!

Screenshot from here.