Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Praised for Ditching ‘Disturbing’ NBA Cup Court Design

Jake Elman

Nov 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) (middle) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) (middle) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Good news for Miami Heat fans ahead of the 2024 NBA Cup: the team's alternate court design is already earning rave reviews.

The Athletic's Jason Jones, Josh Robbins, and Jay King ranked every 2024 NBA Cup court ahead of the tournament's Nov. 12 start date. Although the Heat only finished 20th, King and Jones each heavily praised the team's upgraded look.

"I'm just glad the Heat changed their color scheme," King said. "Their court was disturbing last season."

Ouch!

Jones was a bit more positive, specifically praising the "flame" look on the court.

[The flame] feels as if it's part of an Olympic logo. Obviously, it is the top of the Heat logo, but without the basketball, it could be anything — even the hair of an anime character."

- Jason Jones, The Athletic

"Disturbing" may sound harsh, but in case you need a reminder at what the Heat chose for their inaugural In-Season Tournament court design a year ago...

And for comparison's sake, here's what the Heat are rolling with this season:

Robbins called the new look a "gargantuan upgrade" from last year.

"This is clean, and it's not going to distract Heat fans from the game itself," Robbins wrote.

The Heat (4-5) open NBA Cup play Tuesday at the Detroit Pistons. However, we won't see the Heat's new court design until Nov. 26 when Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks come to town.

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.

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Jake Elman
JAKE ELMAN

Jake Elman is a veteran sports journalist and graduate of Florida Atlantic University’s journalism program. In recent years, he has covered the NFL for EndGame360 and served as the sports content lead for ExpressVPN. He also covered the Lane Kiffin years at FAU for the Palm Beach Post.