The highly anticipated 2024 Emirates NBA Cup has arrived, bringing back one of last season's most talked-about elements: the controversial 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 HawksYahoo Sports verdict: The ATL stands for Atlanta, you see.
Boston CelticsYahoo Sports verdict: This is a good example of playing to your strengths, though the green and black might still clash for some people.
Brooklyn NetsYahoo Sports verdict: The subway font at the ends of the court work better than anything in bounds.
Charlotte HornetsYahoo Sports verdict: The hive patterns really work here.
Chicago BullsYahoo Sports verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background will offend no one, Part 1.
Cleveland CavaliersYahoo Sports verdict: Maybe we should just switch the Cavaliers' and Nets' backgrounds.
Dallas MavericksYahoo Sports verdict: A city skyline silhouette never fails.
Denver NuggetsYahoo Sports verdict: Here, we see the benefits of the Cup trophy actually matching your color scheme.
Detroit PistonsYahoo Sports verdict: Needs more logos.
Golden State WarriorsYahoo Sports verdict: Introducing an alternate logo actually isn’t the worst use of the NBA Cup.
Houston RocketsYahoo Sports verdict: This is what happens when you watch Star Wars the night of a deadline.
Indiana PacersYahoo Sports verdict: There’s really no greater honor for a broadcaster than having your words painted in 25-foot font.
Los Angeles ClippersYahoo Sports verdict: The return of the Clippers script is a welcome development.
Los Angeles LakersYahoo 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 GrizzliesYahoo 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 HeatYahoo 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 BucksYahoo Sports verdict: There’s another court with a giant doe waiting to see how this duel plays out.
Minnesota TimberwolvesYahoo Sports verdict: This probably would have been better focusing more on the trees, without the “TIMBERWOLVES” across the middle.
New Orleans PelicansYahoo Sports verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background will offend no one, Part 2.
New York KnicksYahoo Sports verdict: We said a city skyline silhouette never fails, but it's kinda weird the Knicks did basically nothing else.
Oklahoma City ThunderYahoo Sports verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background will offend no one, Part 3.
Orlando MagicYahoo Sports verdict: We'd give this design three stars, but someone already gave it eight.
Philadelphia 76ersYahoo 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 SunsYahoo Sports verdict: The PHX stands for Phoenix, you see.
Portland Trail BlazersYahoo Sports verdict: This might be the biggest winner of them all. Roses look good and the whole thing feels cohesive.
Sacramento KingsYahoo Sports verdict: Anyone who struggled with geometrical proofs in school is sweating this one.
San Antonio SpursYahoo Sports verdict: Yup, we’re in Texas.
Toronto RaptorsYahoo Sports verdict: A nice use of the jerseys' subtly jagged pinstripes.
Utah JazzYahoo Sports verdict: What, you expected something other than mountains from Utah?
Washington WizardsYahoo Sports verdict: As always, we're not even sure we can say the Wizards tried. (This being a nod to the team’s old logo doesn’t help much.)
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