2009 NBA Finals at Staples Center, Lakers vs. Magic. The last year the Larry O'Brien Trophy was painted on the court. via NBA broadcast
The NBA is putting the Larry O'Brien Trophy back at center court and the "The Finals" script logo back on the home team's floor for the 2026 NBA Finals. ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news. The trophy hasn't been painted on the court since the 2009 Finals between the Lakers and Magic. The script logo hasn't been on the court since the 2014 Finals between the Heat and Spurs. So we're talking about the biggest Finals court redesign in 17 years, and it is long overdue.
We wrote about this a few days ago in our full visual history of NBA playoff court branding, and we said we'd believe it when we saw it. Well, it is officially happening. The logos will be painted on the floor, not digitally overlaid on the broadcast, not printed as decals. Painted. The way it used to be. The way it should be.
Why This Matters
The NBA Finals are supposed to feel like the biggest event in basketball. For decades, the court told you that. You turned on a game in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, or 2014, and the first thing you saw was "The Finals" in that iconic cursive script painted at center court. You did not need a scorebug to tell you what you were watching. The court itself told you. That was the standard and it worked.
The Finals cursive script logo on the court from 2010 to 2014
Then the NBA took it all away. From 2015 through 2025, there was nothing on the court during the Finals except a sideline ad and whatever was on the basket stanchion pad. During the 2025 Finals between the Thunder and Pacers, the NBA tried to paper over the absence with a digital Larry O'Brien Trophy overlay that only showed up on broadcast. Fans hated it. It looked artificial. It had no weight. It was a CGI shortcut for something that used to exist in real life on the actual playing surface.
The Safety Argument Was Always Nonsense
The NBA Cup court. If this is safe, the Finals court is safe.
We have to call this out because it was never a real reason. Adam Silver spent years saying the NBA removed the Finals logo from the court because players might slip on the painted decals. Meanwhile, the NBA Cup has a completely custom court every year. Teams rotate through multiple different court surfaces for special games and alternate jerseys. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game had its own custom court design in Los Angeles. Teams like the Charlotte Hornets have teal alternate courts. The Miami Heat have the Vice court. The Boston Celtics have a city edition court. None of those have caused a slipping epidemic.
If the NBA Cup court is safe, the Finals court is safe. If a Vice Night court is safe, the Finals court is safe. This was never about player safety. It was about the NBA not wanting to commit to the production cost and wanting flexibility on sponsorship placement. We're glad the league finally stopped using that excuse.
What We're Hoping For
We want as much branding as possible on this court. Larry O'Brien trophy at center court. "The Finals" script in front of the team benches. Round logos painted along the baselines. Trophy silhouette on the backboard. Make the Finals court look like the Finals. This is supposed to be royal. It is supposed to feel classy. It is supposed to feel like the biggest stage in the sport.
For years we've been getting the watered-down version. The Finals logo moved from center court to the basket stanchion pad to a digital overlay to a YouTube TV sideline ad. That is not the direction a league as big as the NBA should be going. The NFL has the Super Bowl logo painted at midfield. The MLB has the World Series logo painted behind home plate. The NHL has the Stanley Cup Final logo at center ice. Every major championship has its moment on the actual surface of play. The NBA was the only one that gave it up.
The 2025 Finals sideline. Just YouTube TV. This is what we're leaving behind.
Why Painted Logos Hit Different
There is a reason this matters beyond nostalgia. When a logo is painted on the hardwood, it is there forever. Every broadcast angle shows it. Every wide shot shows it. Every slow-motion replay shows it. Every YouTube highlight a decade from now will still have the Finals logo in the frame. You turn on a 2012 Heat at Thunder Finals clip right now and the court is telling you it is a Finals game. You turn on a 2023 Nuggets at Heat Finals clip and the court just looks like a regular Nuggets home game.
That permanence is the whole point. A painted logo is a moment. A digital overlay is a TV effect. When you go to the arena, the digital overlay does not exist. You paid for a Finals ticket and you are sitting there looking at a regular Denver Nuggets court. That is not right. The Finals should feel different in person too, not just on the broadcast feed.
The Conference Finals Should Be Next
The 2024 Western Conference Finals. You would not know by looking at the court.
While we're here, let's go further. The Conference Finals should also have on-court branding. Western Conference Finals painted on one side of the court. Eastern Conference Finals painted on the other. The 2021 postseason did this for one year and it looked great. Then they dropped it. Every round of the playoffs should feel visually distinct. First round is first round. Conference Semis is Conference Semis. Conference Finals is Conference Finals. Finals is Finals. The court should tell you which one you are watching.
Right now even the Conference Finals court just says "Playoffs" on the sideline. That is the same branding as a first round Hawks-Knicks game. The biggest games outside of the Finals themselves and the court cannot be bothered to differentiate. The 2026 Finals change is a good first step. The next step is the Conference Finals.
What About the Finals Patch
The other thing we want back on the agenda is the Finals patch on the front of the jersey. From the early 2000s through 2014, Finals teams wore the "The Finals" patch on the front of their jerseys. It was on camera during every broadcast. You could not miss it. Then in 2015, the NBA logo moved to the back of the jersey and the Finals patch went with it. Now it is barely visible. You have to catch a rear-camera angle at the right moment to see it. That is a problem.
If the NBA is serious about making the Finals feel like the Finals again, put the patch back on the front. A new logo is fine. The cursive script would be our preference. Either way, the patch belongs somewhere the camera can see it. The front of the jersey is the answer.
Our Take
We love this change. We love that the Larry O'Brien Trophy is coming back to center court. We love that the script logo is returning to the home team's floor. We love that Adam Silver finally admitted the fans were right about this. It is what we've been asking for, it is what the playoffs need, and it is the right direction for the league's visual identity.
Now we want more. We want the Conference Finals to get on-court branding. We want the round logos painted at the baselines. We want the Finals patch back on the front of the jersey. We want the biggest stage in basketball to actually look like the biggest stage in basketball. The league had it right 15 years ago. They can have it right again.
For the first time in a long time, a playoff game in June is going to look like a playoff game in June. That alone is worth celebrating. The trophy is coming home.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Larry O'Brien Trophy return to the NBA Finals court? The Larry O'Brien Trophy will be painted at center court on the home team's floor starting with the 2026 NBA Finals in June 2026. ESPN's Shams Charania reported the change in October 2025.
When was the last time the NBA Finals logo was on the court? The "The Finals" cursive script logo was last painted on an NBA Finals court in 2014 during the Heat vs. Spurs Finals. The Larry O'Brien Trophy was last painted on the court in 2009 during the Lakers vs. Magic Finals.
Will the Finals logos be painted or digital? Painted. The 2026 Finals logos will be physically painted on the home team's hardwood, not digitally overlaid on the TV broadcast or printed as decals. This is the same method used from 2010 to 2014.
Why did the NBA remove the Finals logo from the court? Adam Silver said the NBA removed the Finals logo because painted decals could make the court slippery and create a safety risk for players. Critics have noted that the NBA Cup, team alternate courts, and the NBA All-Star Game all use custom painted designs without safety issues, which made the argument hard to defend.
What did the NBA Finals court look like in 2025? The 2025 NBA Finals court between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers had no painted Finals logo at center court. The only Finals branding on the court was a small "YouTube TV" sideline graphic and a Finals wordmark on the basket stanchion pad. The NBA added a digital Larry O'Brien Trophy overlay to the broadcast, which fans criticized as looking artificial.
Will the NBA bring back the Finals patch on the front of the jersey? There is no announcement yet on the Finals patch. The Finals patch currently sits on the back of the jersey next to the NBA logo. Before 2015, the patch was on the front of the jersey where it was visible on every broadcast camera angle. We think it should go back to the front, but the league has not announced any change.
Is the Conference Finals logo going back on the court in 2026? Not yet. The 2026 announcement only applies to the NBA Finals. Conference Finals courts currently display only "Playoffs" sideline branding and the round-specific logo on the basket stanchion pad. We would like to see the Conference Finals logo painted on the court as well, but the league has not announced anything beyond the Finals redesign.
Does the NBA Cup court have painted logos? Yes. The NBA Cup uses a completely custom painted court design every year with round logos, Cup branding, and accent colors unique to the tournament. This is why the safety argument against painted Finals logos never held up, because the league clearly paints specialty courts every year without issue.
For more on how the NBA's playoff court branding got to this point, read our full visual history of NBA playoff court logos from 2010 to 2026.