The NBA has chosen Lucas Oil Stadium to unveil its glowing new LED court. Resembling a giant TV screen on the floor, it can instantly switch from looking like the classic wooden court to exploding stars to a specialty three-point court to visual surprises the league hasn't yet revealed.
Fans will see it in person and on broadcasts for Friday's Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Saturday's State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, which includes a skills challenge, three-point contest and more. (The All-Star Game, scheduled for Sunday, will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and will not take place on this court.) Outdoor Led Display Advertising
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Developed by ASB GlassFloor, the digitized court can add embellishments, like tracking players' movements with a trail of stars, showing statistics and animating key plays, said Carlton Myers, the NBA's senior vice president and head of live production and entertainment, during a Thursday media tour.
"All the enhancements and embellishments ... are only going to further emphasize all those incredible moments," Myers said.
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Underneath the floor's glass surface, which Myers said is virtually unbreakable, are LED panels mounted to a frame and air-conditioning to cool the lights, among other parts. Its surface has a little elastic give and texture, with tiny dots that offer more grip. Myers said it won't burn sliding players like maple wood does. The league also is taking its time to develop digital embellishments so they don't distract players, he said.
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Myers declined to reveal total cost. Similar iterations of the floor that inspired the NBA's cost $800,000 for a basic version and $2.5 million for one that could handle streaming, Sports Business Journal reported in 2023. The LED floor has been used at the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup in Madrid and at German Bundesliga games.
How mainstream the court will become for the NBA is still to be determined. Myers said it's not the immediate future of the league's courts, and the process to install it around the country would especially be too much for arenas that serve as homes for multiple sports.
"There's a learning process that we're going through," he said.
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game: 7 p.m. EST Feb. 16, at Lucas Oil Stadium, on ESPN
All-Star Saturday Night, including the skills, 3-point and dunk contests: 8 p.m. EST Feb. 17, at Lucas Oil Stadium, on TNT
NBA All-Star Game: 8 p.m. EST Feb. 18, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, on TNT
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