IN PHOTOS: First look of Lakers' NBA In-Season Tournament Court as Purple and Gold team set to host for the first time in franchise history
The Los Angeles Lakers have released photos of how their basketball court will look like in the NBA In-Season Tournament as they host the Memphis Grizzlies this coming Tuesday, November 14. The game begins at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time and basketball fans can watch the game through the television broadcast of Spectrum Sportsnet and Bally Sports SE-MEM.
Lakers beat reporter Dave McMenamin also gave a glimples of what the basketball court will look like as the floor is painted with the team's purple and gold theme.
After playing their first NBA In-Season Tournament game, LeBron James is one of the players who loved what the league did and he even indicated that it added to the playoff-like atmosphere of the games.
"Some of the courts looked a little funky, but I think it's great in the sense of for the league spicing things up," LeBron said on watching highlights from tournament games. "I did see some of the players at some of the games felt like a playoff-type atmosphere."
Lakers and LeBron James gunning for the NBA Cup in the NBA In-Season Tournament
The objective of the NBA In-Season Tournament that was initiated by Adam Silver was to amp up the games early in the season and make it more competitive. With two game days in the history books, the initiative has been a success as it boosted viewership by 55%.
The Los Angeles Lakers already secured their first win of the NBA In-Season Tournament after facing the Phoenix Suns on the road back in November 10. The final score settled at 122-119, with LeBron James leading the charge with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
After the game, LeBron James lauded the concept of the In-Season Tournament as it brought out the competitive juices inside of them early into the 2023-24 season. More so is that the entire team is motivated to go for the NBA Cup with $500,000 granted to each player.
"It feels great because it's an in-season tournament win. And we'll take that. We'll take that for sure. There's $500,000 on the line so we're going for that." said James.
After this matchup with the Grizzlies, the Lakers have two more NBA In-Season Tournament games. They will be battling the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center on November 16 and the Portland Trail Blazers two days later back on their home court in the Crypto.com Arena.