Report: NBA denied Celtics’ request to use parquet for In-Season Tournament
The Boston Celtics have a storied history, and a key part of their image has always been the iconic parquet floor on which they play. This unique choice of flooring originated from a lumber shortage after World War II, when the team was looking to cut costs upon entering the Basketball Association of America in 1946. Since then, the Celtics have played every home game on the distinctive parquet floor – until now.
The NBA recently introduced a new In-Season Tournament, which required teams to use new floor designs representing tournament games. Despite this, the Celtics’ home court lacked the iconic parquet, leading the team to request a parquet-painted design in the middle strip from the NBA. However, their request was denied, as reported by Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports.
The Celtics’ new court design for the In-Season Tournament games follows the pattern of their city edition jerseys. It primarily features green with a tan-colored strip running from hoop to hoop, along with a “Boston” wordmark logo at center court, as well as the signature of Red Auerbach and the number 6 in honor of the late Bill Russell.
In a 2000 interview with the New York Times, Bill Russell himself commented on the importance of the parquet, stating, “It was unique because it looked like no other floor. But what was most significant about the floor was that teams found it distracting. And that was all right. It was part of our legend for kicking everybody’s butts.”
The Celtics will kick off their In-Season Tournament run without the parquet against the Brooklyn Nets, a team they have already beaten earlier in the season.
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