Some NBA All-Star Weekend Events To Play On LED Glass Court

NBA All-Star weekend is going to be an interesting one. If you thought the In-Season Tournament courts were strange, it gets even more outside of the box. The NBA is set to play on an LED glass court for some All-Star Weekend events.

ESPN reported that part of the All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, including the entire All-Star Saturday Night lineup, will be played on a state-of-the-art, full-video LED court that will be installed at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The 3-point contest, the slam dunk competition, and the shooting matchup between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will take place on the glass floor on Feb. 17. Additionally, the celebrity game on Feb. 16 will take place on this unique court. Meanwhile, the All-Star Game itself on Feb. 18 will remain on a wooden court.

Carlton Myers, an NBA senior vice president overseeing live production and entertainment, told ESPN, "It gives us a little bit more range in what we can do as far as interactive graphics, reactionary graphics that happen on the floor, changing the floor design, changing the colors, really reacting to the play that happens on the court."

According to the NBA, the court is actually two layers of laminated safety glass, each 5 millimeters thick. The surface is opaque, and LED panels will provide all the designs. The court will have a different look for each event. Part of what'll be displayed are real-time game stats, replays, video content, and player-tracking animations. They said the surface plays almost exactly the same way wood does in terms of bounce and feel.

There are mixed reviews regarding the LED glass court. "What in the 2k," someone asked, referring to the NBA 2K video game. Another person was more concerned about the safety surrounding the court. "Anybody sitting here wondering about players safety, glass cracking, and playing on blinding LED surface?" they wrote.

During the NBA In-Season Tournament, the looks of the courts caught the attention of many. CNN reported that this particular tournament was created to give a "mid-season boost" to the league. To add intrigue to the tournament, each of the 30 NBA teams had a distinct court design and jersey for games. This included the Chicago Bulls’ bright red courts to the New Orleans Pelicans’ purple and neon green scheme.

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The NBA's first-ever in-season tournament kicked off on a Friday night, and teams donned their NBA City Edition jerseys. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers were among the first teams to compete at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

It seems like some people who follow pro basketball are a bit puzzled about how this tournament works. In an interview, even one NBA player was super honest about not really understanding what's going on. Los Angeles Clippers guard Bones Hyland told the media, "I ain’t even gonna lie, I don’t even know what’s going on. I don’t even know how it works. I don’t know anything honestly."

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For those curious about how to identify In-Season Tournament games, the NBA has made it quite clear. Home teams will wear new City Edition jerseys during these games, and each team will play on a different court.

Teams are introducing fresh court designs for the tournament. The Pacers' court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse has departed from its usual brown hardwood look, opting for a vibrant blue and yellow design to match the city jerseys, which this year pay tribute to street art and feature a combination of black, white, blue, and yellow, departing from the standard uniforms.

This is a major change in the visual department for viewers tuning in to the first NBA Cup action of the season, and it's stirring up mixed feelings among basketball fans.

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While most NBA teams will adhere to an 82-game regular season schedule in 2023-24, not all games carry the same weight. The NBA in-season tournament will consist of 67 games in the Group Play and Knockout Rounds, with only the championship game not affecting the regular season standings.

Group Play games for the In-Season Tournament will be scheduled on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, while the Knockout Rounds, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship, will occur in early December.

Viewers have been taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts on the new look. Check out some fan reactions below.

Similar to many reactions, this person found themselves resorting to the timeless meme of the woman in the pink blazer gazing into the distance. The flashy yellow and blue colors on the court seemed to grab their attention away from the game. This made them blurt out what most of us were probably thinking "Tryna see wtf is going on."

Surprisingly, there were individuals who appreciated the appearance and style of both the courts and uniforms. One person hesitated a bit before admitting their genuine liking for the visuals. They humorously remarked, "Me trying so hard not to get jumped on X because I actually like them," followed by a sweaty Jordan Peele GIF.

Somebody pointed a finger at the NBA, suggesting that they were specifically targeting a younger audience. They went as far as drawing a comparison between the courts' vibrant colors and those seen in the NBA 2K video game, commenting, "They got this from 2K to get the kids to watch." After watching the game, they're pretty spot on.

This response was too good to ignore. Someone handed out a hefty compliment to the court designers, using the word "passion" to describe their work. They commented, "Pacers got that 'Graphic design is my passion' court"

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This court design for the Bulls went all in with a single theme and color: red. It generated a variety of reactions. Some people commented on how the court resembled a "sunburn," while others thought it looked like blood.

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