The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup is here and that means the return of one of last season’s most divisive additions: the tennis courts.
They are stylized. They are loud. For some reason they all have concentric circles this year. (The NBA says the circles “represent the three competitive phases” of group play, the quarterfinals and semifinals, and the 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 little less unruly, there are still some highlights, both good and bad. We will go through them all with you and come to a quick judgment that we cannot 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 great example of playing to your strengths, even though green and black can still clash for some people.
Brooklyn Nets
Yahoo Sports Verdict: The subway font at the ends of the playing field works better than anything within the boundaries.
Charlotte Hornets
Yahoo Sports Verdict: The beehive patterns really work here.
Chicago Bulls
Yahoo Sports Verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background won’t offend anyone, part 1.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Yahoo Sports Verdict: Maybe we should just swap the backgrounds of the Cavaliers and Nets.
Dallas Mavericks
Yahoo Sports Verdict: A silhouette of a city skyline never fails.
Denver Nuggets
Yahoo Sports Verdict: Here we see that the cup trophy benefits actually match your color scheme.
Detroit Pistons
Yahoo Sports Verdict: More logos are needed.
Warriors of the Golden State
Yahoo Sports Verdict: Introducing an alternate logo isn’t actually the worst use of the NBA Cup.
Houston Rockets
Yahoo Sports Verdict: This is what happens when you watch Star Wars on the night of a deadline.
Indiana Pacers
Yahoo Sports Verdict: There really is no greater honor for a broadcaster than to have you paint words in a 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 move their championship stars to the bottom?
Memphis Grizzlies
Yahoo Sports Verdict: The Grizzlies have been using that stylized “MEM” for a while now and it works well as a logo and as a geometric pattern.
Miami heat
Yahoo Sports Verdict: We would have loved to be at the meeting they ended up at by just zooming in on the top right portion of their logo.
Milwaukee Bucks
Yahoo Sports Verdict: There is another field with a giant doe waiting to see how this match will go.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Yahoo Sports Verdict: This would probably have been better to focus more on the trees, without the “WOOD WOLVES” in the middle.
New Orleans Pelicans
Yahoo Sports Verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background won’t offend anyone, part 2.
New York Knicks
Yahoo Sports Verdict: We said that the silhouette of a city skyline never fails, but it’s a little weird that the Knicks didn’t actually do anything else.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Yahoo Sports Verdict: A larger version of your logo in the background won’t offend anyone, part 3.
Orlando magic
Yahoo Sports Verdict: We would give this design three stars, but someone already gave it eight.
Philadelphia Sixers
Yahoo Sports Verdict: Congratulations to the Sixers for being the only team to actually adopt the eye pattern from all of these lanes.
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 geometric proofs in school will sweat this one.
San Antonio Spurs
Yahoo Sports Verdict: Yes, we are in Texas.
Toronto Raptors
Yahoo Sports Verdict: A nice use of the subtly serrated pinstripes of the sweaters.
Utah Jazz
Yahoo Sports Verdict: What, did you expect anything other than Utah mountains?
Washington Wizards
Yahoo Sports Verdict: As always, we’re not even sure we can say the Wizards tried.
