NBA
Why do they change the courts for the NBA Cup 2024? Who designed them?
Unlike regular NBA fixtures, teams are allowed to customise their home courts for the recently-introduced tournament.
The 2024 NBA Cup gets underway on Tuesday with all 30 teams taking part. The tournament was only introduced last season and the inaugural edition was largely viewed as a success, adding greater intrigue to a traditionally quiet stretch of the season.
One thing that has proved almost universally popular was the unique court designs, a departure from the strict rules that are in effect for the remainder of the season. Teams must include the NBA Cup logo in the lane and the midcourt but they have much more freedom in the colour and design beyond that.
Here’s a look at all 30 court designs for the 2024 NBA Cup...
Each court shares a central circle design and they typically reflect the home colours of the team in question. For example the reining NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, have gone for a green parquet floor.
The courts were designed by basketball artist Victor Solomon and will be used during Group Play and the Quarterfinals phases on the tournament.
Who won the NBA Cup in 2023?
As this is the second year of the competition - initially known as the NBA In-Season Tournament - there is only one previous winner. In 2023 the Los Angeles Lakers won the tournament after beating the Indiana Pacers in the final.
LeBron James was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) last year. The veteran superstar also made the Tournament Team alongside Tyrese Haliburton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis.
This time around the Lakers find themselves in a group alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference’s Group B. Only the top team secures a guaranteed spot in the knockout stages, with the No. 2 finisher forced to see how their record compares to runners-up in the other groups.