Fans mock NBA, ABC for putting CGI trophies on Finals court after outcry

The NBA and ABC digitally inserted images of the Larry O’Brien Trophy onto the court during the broadcast of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, leading an array of reactions on social media — many of which made fun of the decision. Fans had taken umbrage with the fact that there were no decals during Game 1 — not even digital ones — and the league appeared to take notice Sunday night, alternating between an image of the trophy and a logo that read “The NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV.”According to Awful Announcing, the NBA has not featured physical decals on the court since 2020 and large physical decals of the trophy haven’t been put on the floor of the Finals since 2009. But the attempt by the league and ABC on Sunday drew criticism from fans. “FANS: The NBA Finals are supposed to be special.You could at least put the logo back on the court. “NBA: Here are the terribly low-res digital Larry O’Brien Trophies superimposed on the court like you wanted.

They’re glitchy and disappear if we cut back to them too quickly.” a fan wrote on X. “Looks like the @NBA got the memo about fans wanting more visuals of the #NBAFinals insignia and Larry OB, but superimposing a digital image isn’t the answer,” another person wrote on x. “Lmaoo Adam silver said ‘here damn’ and put a cgi trophy logo on the finals court,” a third person said on the social media platform. The trophy on the court has become such a talking point among fans on social media that NBA commissioner Adam Silver had weighed in about it after Game 1. “To be honest, I hadn’t thought all that much about it until I (saw) it (on social media),” he told reporters, per The Athletic.“I’m nostalgic, as well, for certain things.

And also, I think for a media-driven culture, whether it’s people watching live or seeing those images on social media, it’s nice when you’re looking back on highlights and they stand out because you see that trophy logo or some other indicat...