Mesmerizing NBA LED court materializes at Lucas Oil Stadium

The basketball stadium experience may have been changed forever. Ahead of NBA All-Star 2024, Lucas Oil Stadium unveiled the spectacular full-scale NBA LED court that has superb capabilities to elevate the game. Take a look at it yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6Uv-1c9-ZY

What happened: no, it's not some kind of a reenactment of the NBA 2K24 video game. Nor it's a visualization. The floor that's entirely LED is a reality now and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is going all in. Will it be a slam dunk with fans? That is yet to be seen. But the first look is very promising for this grandiose digital signage installation.

The NBA LED court is unveiled ahead of the All-Star Weekend. Taking place from 16 to 17 February, it will comprise of All-Star Celebrity Game, Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Challenge, and Slam Dunk event. Both players, TV companies, advertisers, and, most importantly, fans from all over the world will be able to see this new project in action.

Many questions arise straight away. Player distraction, too much advertising, chances of breaking the LED, the viewability. It seems that the association has everything covered and is ready to hear feedback from spectators and players.

“What we are doing with it and how we are using it is pretty groundbreaking, and pretty exciting for the fans,” explains Carlton Myers, NBA head of live production and entertainment in the Forbes interview. “Things that would normally appear on a jumbotron will now appear on the floor alongside the live action.”

How it actually works: the NBA LED court was created by German company ASB GlassFloor in Europe and then shipped to Indianapolis. The floor is comprised of panels, "with LED lights below them are topped with two layers of laminated safety glass, each layer 5 millimeters thick," according to Christopher Arena, NBA head of on-court brand partnerships. The construction is supported by aluminum belts.

The possibilities of such an ambitious screen are truly fascinating.

“It is basically limitless,” Myers told Forbes. “You can use any graphics you want. Any design you want you can put on there. We zeroed in on making it very dynamic at times, but also wanted to make it very bold with the colors, so you automatically realize, ‘wow, this is different.”

Basically, the new NBA LED court can follow the player's movements, show branded content, provide visuals in between and during games, do various light effects, interact with fans, and promote whatever the NBA wants it to promote.

It's a unique case of the screen that is also a part of the sports experience and not merely a standalone, easy-to-miss feature. In other words, you can't really avoid looking at this LED court, it's virtually inescapable.

What else: While the NBA is very excited about this feature, the reaction of fans is yet to be seen. Analyzing the YouTube comments on a video announcing the court, many expressed their displeasure about such a big digital intervention in the gaming process.

Some referred to it as "a video game," others called it "nasty." Still, many comments were praising the decision and expressing their wish to see it in action ASAP.

And it's not the first time this technology has been used in basketball. ABS GlassFloor supplied an LED court for the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain in 2023. It looked nice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e34emdsD4Ig

But the NBA is on a whole different level with an expansive fan base and certain local traditions. Let's see how the new NBA LED court will fare in the U.S. In any case, it is always great to see such amazing digital signage projects realized.