NBA Reveals Special Courts for In-Season Tournament

The NBA has unveiled the official courts that teams will play on for the first ever NBA In-Season Tournament, which tips off on Friday, Nov. 3 with a doubleheader on ESPN as the Knicks visit the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Denver Nuggets host the Dallas Mavericks at 10 p.m. ET.

The courts, which will be used for Group Play and the Quarterfinals, showcase a bold and distinctive design scheme league-wide, making it instantly clear to fans when a game carries NBA In-Season Tournament implications.  The unified look represents the first time that the league has implemented an alternate court for all 30 teams and the first time that any NBA team has played on a fully painted court with no woodgrain details.  This will also mark the first time that the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers will play on an alternate court in the history of the franchises.

The courts, featuring vibrant and bold colors, share the following design details:

• A fully painted court, edge-to-edge
• A larger-than-life NBA Cup at center court, prominently displaying to players and fans the new trophy that will be awarded to the champion
• A contrasting wash of color from lane-to-lane, creating a 16-foot wide “runway” across the court
• NBA Cup silhouettes in the lanes
• Team logos across the NBA Cup at center court and on the baselines

The inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament will tip off with Group Play on Friday, Nov. 3 in NBA team markets. The single-elimination Knockout Rounds begin with the Quarterfinals (Dec. 4 and 5), also played in team markets, before the tournament culminates at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with the Semifinals (Dec. 7) and Championship (Dec. 9).

ESPN and TNT will combine to air 14 games during Group Play.