October 30, 2023 – The Charlotte Hornets today unveiled a new court to be used exclusively during the new NBA In-Season Tournament. The Hornets will play two home games during the Group Play stage, hosting the defending Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat on Tuesday, Nov. 14, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, Nov. 17. Pending the results of Group Play, the team could have an additional home game on Dec. 4 or 5 if it advances to the Knockout Rounds. The other two teams in Charlotte’s group are the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks, which they will play in road games on Nov. 10 and Nov. 28, respectively.
The court is a deep teal color with gold accents, with the exception of the area between the free-throw lanes, which is mint running the full length of the court. Highlights of the design include:
- A deep teal and gold version of the partial primary logo at center court, overlaying the NBA Cup trophy
- A design of the top portion of the NBA Cup trophy within the free-throw lanes
- A “Charlotte” wordmark on each baseline in the quadrant away from the team benches
- The phrase “The Hive is Alive” in gold on the apron at center court
- A Spectrum Center logo outside each three-point line
- A Novant Health logo on the apron in front of each bench
The new In-Season Tournament will include all 30 teams competing for the NBA Cup. Following the Group Play stage, comprised of four regular-season games on Tuesdays and/or Fridays in November, the teams with the best records in each of the six groups and two “wild cards” (the teams from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in their groups) will advance to the Knockout Rounds. The Quarterfinals, which will take place Dec. 4 and 5 in home markets, and the Semifinals on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas will count toward the regular-season standings for participating teams. The 22 teams that do not qualify for the Knockout Rounds will each play two regular-season games on Dec. 6 and Dec. 8. The losing teams in the Quarterfinals in each conference will play each other in a regular-season game on Dec. 8. The Championship, which will not count as a regular-season game, will take place Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.