NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy Logo May Return to Courts for 2026 Finals, Adam Silver Says
The NBA will consider returning Larry O'Brien Trophy decals to the court for the 2026 NBA Finals, commissioner Adam Silver told reporters on Friday.
Silver told reporters he "hadn't thought all that much about" the on-court logos until social media discussion of the lack of NBA Finals decals during Thursday's Game 1 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, per The Athletic's Sam Amick.
"I’m nostalgic, as well, for certain things," Silver said, per Amick. "And also, I think for a media-driven culture, whether it’s people watching live or seeing those images on social media, it’s nice when you’re looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indication that it’s a special event.
"So, we’ll look at it.”
There have been no on-court decals during NBA Finals games since 2020, according to NBC Sports Boston's Max Molski.
The NBA used on-court decals displaying each year's individualized Finals logo from 1989 until 2004, Molski reported.
The Larry O’Brien Trophy decals were then used on the court from 2005 to 2009, per Molski.
The league returned to using the NBA Finals logo in a smaller size between 2010 and 2014.
Only two Finals since Silver's first full season as commissioner in 2014-15 have used special decals, Molski reported.
Custom logos were used on the Cleveland Cavaliers' court during the 2017 NBA Finals and in Orlando during the 2020 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, per Molski.
An NBA spokesperson said after the league stopped using logos in 2015 that "a lot of considerations taken into account in making this decision, including player safety," according to The Cauldron's Rafael Canton.
Silver similarly said safety was "largely why we stopped putting the logos on the court" when speaking to reporters on Friday.
“One of the reasons we moved away from the logos on the courts is — whether it was perception or reality — there was a sense that maybe the logos added some slipperiness to the court, and it was a change sort of on the court that was coming just at the time of the finals," Silver said, per Amick.
Silver added, "Maybe it’s for superstitious reasons or just a sense from teams that we shouldn’t be changing things around such important competition."
The commissioner also mentioned the "significant amount of time" it took to design courts as a reason the league moved away from the practice, according to Amick.
Given the 30 fully-painted specialty team courts the league revealed ahead of NBA Cup play last fall, it seems likely the NBA would be able to solve the logistics of Finals court decals should the league decide to resume the practice next June.
