Key Points
- The NBA unveiled its 2026 Finals court designs for the Spurs-Knicks series.
- The Larry O'Brien Trophy logo returns to center court for the first time since 2009.
- Team logos sit beside the trophy, with NBA Finals logos at both baselines.
- Game 1 tips June 3 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
The NBA's most-requested design change finally landed. Unveiling the court designs for the 2026 Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks, the league put a logo version of the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy back at center court — the first time it has appeared at midcourt during the Finals since 2009.
The layouts place the trophy behind each team's logo, with NBA Finals logos anchored at both baselines. It reads as clean and unmistakably big-stage, and the reaction was close to unanimous: fans who'd spent years asking for the trophy's return treated its comeback as a small but overdue win.
That praise lands harder in context. Last year's Finals court drew open backlash for a stripped-down, over-minimal look that critics said made the sport's biggest series feel like a regular-season night. Restoring the trophy is the league conceding the point — that the Finals floor is a branding canvas seen by tens of millions, and the iconography should signal the stakes, not mute them.
It's a fitting visual overture for a heavyweight matchup. The Spurs host the Knicks with the series set to tip June 3 at Frost Bank Center, a pairing we broke down in our 2026 Finals preview. The trophy at center court is the right backdrop for it.
Source: Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report
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