SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The NBA has confirmed that championship logos will return to Finals courts this season.
Through a simple social media announcement on Sunday, the league revealed that the Larry O’Brien Trophy image — awarded to the Finals champion — will be displayed at center court during games at both the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio and Madison Square Garden in New York for this year’s championship series.
The script “The Finals” logo will also return, positioned on both sides of the court. The championship matchup between the Spurs and Knicks begins Wednesday in San Antonio.
This marks the first occasion since the 2009 championship series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic that the Finals will showcase the trophy image at center court. The Finals text and logo were last seen on courts during the 2014 championship series between the Spurs and Miami Heat.
The league began incorporating the Finals text on courts for the championship round in 1989, introduced a combination of text and trophy in 2004, then featured the prominent trophy image at midcourt from 2005 to 2009.
Supporters have used social media platforms in recent years to express disappointment about courts lacking Finals atmosphere. The league creates special courts for events such as NBA Cup games, leading some supporters to question the inconsistency — customized courts for the in-season tournament, but no special designs for the Finals.
This season’s design includes a fresh element: the center court trophy image will be combined with each participating team’s unique branding.
