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NBA to Restore Finals Trophy and Script Logos for 2026, per Reports

The change follows fan backlash to last season’s pared-down Finals presentation.

Overview

  • ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the league will paint a large Larry O’Brien Trophy at center court and place the Finals script on the home team’s floor for the 2026 NBA Finals.
  • The trophy image has not been painted on Finals courts since 2009, and the Finals script has been absent since 2014.
  • Coverage links the decision to criticism of the 2025 Finals, when smaller digital trophy graphics replaced on-court insignias.
  • Commissioner Adam Silver previously cited concerns that decals felt slippery but said during the 2025 Finals that the league would revisit on-court branding.
  • Some reports say the graphics will be painted directly onto the hardwood to address safety concerns, though a formal league announcement detailing implementation has not been issued.