The NBA Looks to the Past to Modernize Their Presentation
NBA fans have been demanding change from the NBA for many years in their Finals broadcasts. There have been numerous public pleas for a return to the larger-than-life presentation that the championship games once offered. It doesn’t take much to notice that the overall feel of the Finals feels much smaller in scale than the other major sports championship game presentations. There are very few notable quirks that are shown on the screen, and it wasn’t always this way; that is why fans are upset. Many remember a time when the games looked like a superhero battle filled with theatrics and eye-catching aesthetics. NBA fans have been very vocal for years about returning to the presentation of the past, and the NBA seems to be taking notice and listening.
The first sign of this change happened early on in the 2025 Finals when the NBA started adding virtual Final trophy decals to the court as a sort of tribute to decals of the past. Once upon a time, the NBA had a giant decal of the Larry O’Brien Trophy centered on the home team’s logo during games. This decal was huge and served as a reminder of what these teams are playing for and why this game was a big deal. The visuals of teams at tipoff getting ready to battle it out with a painted-on visual of a big gold trophy that they are seeking to obtain were nothing short of iconic. The giant midcourt decal went away after the 2009 Finals due to the paint being a slipping hazard and was replaced by smaller trophy decals spread around the court, before leaving forever. The Cavaliers had a variation of the decal court for their home games in 2017, but that was the last time it was ever seen, and fans were left wanting more.
Another very notable Finals trademark that went away was the pregame team intros. Much like every other sports league, the NBA used to televise the pregame intros for the teams in the Finals as a way to present the teams as larger than life and bring excitement to the game that was about to be played. I often reminisce on the 2013 Miami Heat intros with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh being announced to the soundtrack of “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes. This is an iconic visual of one of the greatest superteams in NBA history, and the league simply stopped doing pregame intros not long after it for no reason besides including room for more commercials. Fans wanted and deserved more, so they have been very vocal about their dissatisfaction with the product, and the league seems to be listening.
Adam Silver addressed the fans’ concerns while on ESPN's “NBA Today” show and mentioned that the decals could be returned. The broadcast then displayed virtual decals on the court for a little bit before removing them as the virtual decals simply didn’t look very good, and weren’t a valid replacement for the physical paint that once existed. It’s still good to see that the league is trying to appeal to the fans and that our concerns aren’t going unnoticed, as that is the first step to a better viewing experience that we deserve. Player intros have since returned after Adam Silver addressed fan concerns, and took place during Games Five and Six in what was an epic return for an amazing tradition. The league is listening to its audience, and we have to keep being vocal to make more changes, and more importantly, make the changes permanent. I, for one, am very optimistic about what is to come, and I think the Finals are regaining that grand feel that many of us grew up with.
