The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup is here and that means the return of one of last season’s more divisive additions: the courts.
They’re stylized. They’re loud. They all feature concentric circles this year for some reason. (The NBA says the circles “represent the three stages of competition” of Group Play, the Quarterfinals, and the Semifinals and Championship.)
Last year’s courts received some harsh reactions, but the league is bringing them back for another round. While this year’s group is a bit less unruly, there are still some standouts, both good and bad. We’ll take you through all of them with a quick verdict that we can’t promise will be serious.
(All images courtesy of the NBA.)
Atlanta Hawks
Yahoo Sports verdict: The ATL stands for Atlanta, you see.
Boston Celtics
Yahoo Sports verdict: This is a good example of playing to your strengths, though the green and black might still clash for some people.
Brooklyn Nets
Yahoo Sports verdict: The subway font at the ends of the court work better than anything in bounds.
Charlotte Hornets
Yahoo Sports verdict: The hive patterns really work here.
Chicago Bulls
Yahoo Sports verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background will offend no one, Part 1.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Yahoo Sports verdict: Maybe we should just switch the Cavaliers and Nets’ backgrounds.
Dallas Mavericks
Yahoo Sports verdict: A city skyline silhouette never fails.
Denver Nuggets
Yahoo Sports verdict: Here, we see the benefits of the Cup trophy actually matching your color scheme.
Detroit Pistons
Yahoo Sports verdict: Needs more logos.
Golden State Warriors
Yahoo Sports verdict: Introducing an alternate logo actually isn’t the worst use of the NBA Cup.
Houston Rockets
Yahoo Sports verdict: This is what happens when you watch Star Wars the night of a deadline.
Indiana Pacers
Yahoo Sports verdict: There’s really no greater honor for a broadcaster than your having words painted in 25-foot font.
Los Angeles Clippers
Yahoo Sports verdict: The return of the Clippers script is a welcome development.
Los Angeles Lakers
Yahoo Sports verdict: Los Angeles, the city where palm trees are as tall as skyscrapers. Also, is it too late for the Celtics to put their championship stars at the bottom?
Memphis Grizzlies
Yahoo Sports verdict: The Grizzlies have been using that stylized “MEM” for a while and it works decently as both a logo and a geometric pattern.
Miami Heat
Yahoo Sports verdict: We would have loved to be in the meeting where they landed on just zooming in on the top right part of their logo.
Milwaukee Bucks
Yahoo Sports verdict: There’s another court with a giant doe waiting to see how this duel plays out.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Yahoo Sports verdict: This probably would have been better focusing more on the trees, without the “TIMBERWOLVES” across the middle.
New Orleans Pelicans
Yahoo Sports verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background will offend no one, Part 2.
New York Knicks
Yahoo Sports verdict: We said a city skyline silhouette never fails, but it’s kinda weird the Knicks did basically nothing else.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Yahoo Sports verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background will offend no one, Part 3.
Orlando Magic
Yahoo Sports verdict: We’d give this design three stars, but someone already gave it eight.
Philadelphia Sixers
Yahoo Sports verdict: Congrats to the Sixers for being the only team to actually incorporate the eye pattern all of these courts have going on.
Phoenix Suns
Yahoo Sports verdict: The PHX stands for Phoenix, you see.
Portland Trail Blazers
Yahoo Sports verdict: This might be the biggest winner of them all. Roses look good and the whole thing feels cohesive.
Sacramento Kings
Yahoo Sports verdict: Anyone who struggled with geometrical proofs in school is sweating this one.
San Antonio Spurs
Yahoo Sports verdict: Yup, we’re in Texas.
Toronto Raptors
Yahoo Sports verdict: A nice use of the jerseys’ subtly jagged pinstripes.
Utah Jazz
Yahoo Sports verdict: What, you expected something other than mountains from Utah?
Washington Wizards
Yahoo Sports verdict: As always, we’re not even sure we can say the Wizards tried.