The NBA recently revealed the court design for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup semifinals and championship game, which will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 14 and 17.
The court, designed by artist Victor Solomon, shares several character characteristics with the team-specific designs that will be used during group play and the quarterfinals, most notably the circles that radiate from midcourt.
According to the league, these circles represent the three stages of competition in the second-year tournament, including group play, the quarterfinals and the semifinals/championship game, which are linked because they take place at the same location.
The trophy is also – like the team-specific designs – prominently displayed at midcourt and in the lanes, though the team wordmarks and/or logos in the former are replaced by the Emirates NBA Cup wordmark.
The wood-colored court is complete with a sublimated bracket, which matches the special basketballs being used during the tournament, as well as a black out-of-bounds area with a red-to-blue gradient design along the bottom baseline to represent the Eastern and Western Conferences.
There are also sublimated stars from the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign within the out-of-bounds area, as well as the NBA Cup wordmark and advertisements for Michelob ULTRA Courtside on the baselines and Emirates logos along the upper sideline.
The color of the court is notable, as the court used during last year’s In-Season Tournament – which was renamed this offseason – featured a predominately blue background with a large red stripe down the middle and created contrast issues against the semifinalists’ City Edition uniforms.
That forced the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers, runner-up Indiana Pacers and semifinals Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans to wear their Association, Icon or Statement Edition uniforms in the final two rounds.
The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup continues with six group play games on Nov. 19, headlined by the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the Boston Celtics at 7 p.m. on TNT, immediately followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder at the San Antonio Spurs.
Photo courtesy of @NBA on X/Twitter.