NBA In-Season Tournament Court Reminds Pelicans Forward of ‘Barney’

Not only was the ‘Barney’ court comparison hilarious, but also oddly accurate.

There are many ways the new NBA in-season tournament court designs have been described by players. But the comparison made by Pelicans forward Naji Marshall prior to the team’s game against the Mavericks on Tuesday was arguably the most hilarious, and oddly enough, accurate assessment to date.

Marshall spoke about the floor in New Orleans, which is largely covered in dark purple, a color he compared to the singing and dancing dinosaur from Barney & Friends.

“I’ve seen it. It’s pretty cool. It reminds me of Barney. I used to love Barney. But it’s cool, though. For real. I like the black jerseys. It’s something new. I’ve never played on a color floor in my life,” Marshall told Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

In case you don’t believe Marshall’s opinion of the court, and the comparison to Barney was accurate, here’s a look at it:

The NBA in-season tournament court for the New Orleans Pelicans drew a ‘Barney’ comparison from one player / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The purple and green court may be an acquired taste for many fans, but the Pelicans had a great showing on it against Dallas, pulling out a 131–110 victory and snapping a five-game losing skid.

Marshall specifically had a strong night, finishing with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and filling up the box score with four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.