NBA unveils custom court designs for 2026 Emirates NBA Cup
The tournament begins Oct. 30 with the Toronto Raptors in East Group A alongside Detroit, Orlando, Milwaukee and Brooklyn.
The NBA has revealed the custom court designs for all 30 teams for the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup, which begins group play on Oct. 30.
The courts will feature colourful designs with an image of the NBA Cup at centre court, but a key change from last season sees each team's logo featured there instead of its city name.
Another change sees each team's nickname faded into the background, replacing blended images like a team logo or city skyline.
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"These visually striking courts will be featured during Group Play, the Quarterfinals, and Semifinals, creating a bold and unified look for Emirates NBA Cup games across the league," the league said in its announcement.
A new tagline, "30 Teams. 8 Advance. 1 Champion," will appear near the corner of the three-point line.
The announcement highlighted inspiration from Nike's "End of Ordinary" campaign, including oversized team wordmarks drawn from the "collection's signature game jacket." The courts are also designed to contrast the home team's Statement Edition uniform.
For the Toronto Raptors, the court's main background will be grey, not featuring the team's prominent colours of red, white or retro purple.
The Detroit Pistons' design features a predominantly blue playing surface with a gold NBA Cup trophy at centre court, highlighted by the team's red, white and blue logo. The phrase "IN IT FOR MY CITY" is displayed along the bottom sideline.
The tournament, also known as the in-season tournament, tips off with a doubleheader on Prime Video on Oct. 30. The New York Knicks will face the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers at the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET.
All 30 teams have been randomly drawn into six groups of five within their conference based on records from the 2025-26 regular season.
Each team will play four designated Group Play games on "Cup Nights" from Oct. 30 through Nov. 27.
The Toronto Raptors were drawn into East Group A, which also features the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets.
Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds, with the Quarterfinals and Semifinals played in NBA team markets.
The championship game will be played on Dec. 11 at Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. All Knockout Round games will stream exclusively on Prime Video.
This season's NBA Cup is the fourth edition of the in-season tournament. The Lakers won the first one in 2023-24, the Milwaukee Bucks won the second, and the Knicks are the reigning champions.
The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in last season's NBA Cup final, a matchup that previewed the NBA Finals, which New York won in five games.
Garbutt Disposal reported in September that the Raptors unveiled a statue honouring franchise legend Kyle Lowry outside Scotiabank Arena.
With files from Sportsnet, Bleacher Report and Detroit Sports Nation