When the 2026 NBA Finals tips off, it will actually look like it. On Wednesday, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the league will paint a large rendering of the Larry O’Brien Trophy at mid-court for the first time in over a decade and a year after receiving blowback for the presentation of the 2025 NBA Finals. Last season, the NBA drew widespread criticism for messily imposing two smaller, digital Larry O’Brien Trophies onto the court during Game 2 of the finals between Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, which the Thunder won in seven games. It was a bad look for a massive, billion-dollar sports league to treat its championship series as anything less than a premier event. But the NBA deserves a dose of credit for not doubling down on a bad idea and instead making a logical change. As Charania noted, the 2026 Finals will mark the first time since 2009 that the Larry O’Brien Trophy will be printed on mid-court. He also revealed the league will use the Finals script font on the finalists’ hoRead More
NBA makes change after 2025 NBA Finals blowback
