Ranking 5 best and worst NBA Cup courts in 2026

Ranking 5 best and worst NBA Cup courts in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The NBA season is still just getting underway, but it’s already time to play for a championship.

A championship, not the championship.

The NBA Cup begins on Oct. 30, with group play games running through November and the bracketed portion of the tournament set for early December.

Last year, there was no daylight between the NBA Cup champion and the NBA champion. The Knicks won both, which might inspire hope that this year’s winner is offering a sign of what’s to come.

Every NBA court will be decked out with a splash of color for the NBA Cup, despite being more standardized than previous years. Here are the best and worst around the league.

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Best 2026 NBA Cup courts

1. Cavaliers

The Cavaliers benefit from the gold aesthetic that every team has on its NBA Cup court with the trophy imagery being gold. After leaning into the wine-and-gold (not wine-and-yellow) look in the playoffs last season, Cleveland’s NBA Cup court features a gold baseline and sidelines, a deep red court and the same gold trophies that every court has. Some of it is luck, but that amounts to an aesthetically pleasing look for the Cavaliers.

First look at the Cavs NBA Cup court 👀 https://t.co/wKDlAWEgnU

— SleeperCavs (@SleeperCleCavs) October 13, 2026

2. Nuggets

Not everyone is a fan of the color red in the Nuggets‘ color scheme, but it makes their NBA Cup court one of the most unique. With a dark red playing surface, the blue of their logo at midcourt and yellow surrounding the court, Denver did a nice job of taking their tri-color look and applying it to their NBA Cup court.

Our tourney court got some updates 👀 https://t.co/YMhA1epE1v

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 13, 2026

3. Timberwolves

There is a little too much gray among the NBA Cup courts, but gray is a central part of the Timberwolves‘ new color scheme and fits well here. It’s not dark enough to be an eyesore, and the blue surrounding the court pops with the new logo also easy to spot at midcourt.

TIMBERWOLVES NBA CUP COURT 2026/27 https://t.co/krLnmnPcdt

— Wolves Lead (@TWolvesLead) October 13, 2026

4. Mavericks

There is no brighter blue among NBA Cup courts than what the Mavericks will be rolling out. Dallas could’ve easily went with a bland gray but went blue-and-black, allowing the trophy imagery in the paint and at midcourt to pop.

Tomorrow’s game against the Rockets is a “Cup Night”, which will see the Mavericks utilize their NBA Cup Court for this season: https://t.co/POy73UCsBU

— Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) October 29, 2026

5. Jazz

The Jazz don’t even have to do anything special to have one of the better NBA Cup courts. They’re the only purple court in the league, and the sky blue surrounding the court works as well as it does on Utah’s jerseys.

The new-look Utah Jazz court for NBA Cup games. https://t.co/4yrQj2KOqB

— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) October 13, 2026

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Worst 2026 NBA Cup courts

1. Warriors

Speaking of gray, it really isn’t part of the Warriors‘ color scheme at all but will be the dominant color on Golden State’s NBA Cup court. With an aesthetic that stands out as one of the best in the NBA, there isn’t any reason for the Warriors to rely so heavily on gray, or at all.

Unveiling this year’s Warriors Cup Games court 🏆 Debuting on Oct. 30 » https://t.co/Q8ZX6J0Kgt https://t.co/DWex242zEx

— Chase Center (@ChaseCenter) October 13, 2026

2. Lakers

The only purple on the Lakers‘ court is on the small logo at midcourt. Not only is the court yellow and surrounded by a black baseline and sidelines, but it’s close to highlighter yellow since the franchise continues to insist on staying away from the warmer yellow worn during the Kobe Bryant era. At the very least, the Lakers could’ve surrounded the court with some purple.

Lakers new court for the NBA Cup 👀 https://t.co/JWPnPc9ONP

— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) October 13, 2026

3. Grizzlies

There is no reason for the Grizzlies to be playing on a dark gray court when it’s such a minor part of an already bland color scheme. Either shade of blue would have worked better, as would have any of Memphis’ more eccentric colors from its throwback look.

Droppin’ our official @NBA Cup Court 👀 https://t.co/sDd9eU14lk

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) October 13, 2026

4. 76ers

The 76ers have so many options for their aesthetic with all of the patriotic imagery associated with Philadelphia, so a simple “76” at midcourt and a blue-on-blue look isn’t it. Navy blue isn’t a central part of the Sixers’ color scheme, and its presence around the royal blue court prevents the court itself from popping.

Looking ahead to Friday, the Philadelphia 76ers will be using a new court for their home NBA Cup Games. Additionally, all home teams in the NBA Cup are wearing their Statement Edition uniforms, so the Sixers will break out the red uniforms for the first time this year. https://t.co/dgNHk5o7MX

— Philadelphia 76ers Uniform Tracker (@76ersUniTracker) October 26, 2026

5. Spurs

Speaking of two-toned colors, the Spurs effectively went black-on-black for their court. As one of the only teams who can get away with a gray court, the gray is so dark that it barely contrasts from the black surrounding it. Plus, San Antonio could’ve had so many possibilities if it went with its Fiesta colors, assuming the NBA would’ve allowed it.

Here is the Spurs’ NBA Cup court, which replaces a big Texas logo with the team name. The league has shifted to this style for every team this year, ditching the individualized backgrounds for the teams last year. https://t.co/pftPHqkYxI

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) October 13, 2026

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