Luka Doncic Sounds Alarm on Lakers’ NBA Cup Court: Could Slippery Surface Spark Serious Injuries?

LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic lit up the scoreboard with 43 points against the Clippers, powering his team into the quarterfinals of the Emirates NBA Cup. Yet, despite the electric performance and the win, one thing lingered as a nagging concern: the slick, treacherous surface of the Lakers’ specially designed NBA Cup court. It’s not every day you hear a superstar highlight that what stole the spotlight wasn’t just the points but the slippery dangers underfoot. From multiple slips on the shiny floor to coach J.J. Redick’s hesitations about condensation caused by the rink next door, the Lakers’ home court at Crypto.com Arena is raising some eyebrows. With the Lakers gearing up to face Doncic’s former squad, the Dallas Mavericks, on this very floor again, the slippery saga is far from over. Let’s dive into what’s causing all the slip-ups and why it might just affect the showdown ahead.

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LOS ANGELES — After dropping 43 points on the Clippers and both picking up another win and, with this last one, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Emirates NBA Cup, Luka Doncic had just one complaint.

The Lakers’ NBA Cup court.

“It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous …” Doncic said after the game. “I slipped. I slipped a lot of times, and you could see a lot of players slipped. And that’s dangerous.”

For the NBA Cup, every NBA team has specially designed courts, with brighter colors — the Lakers’ is a muted yellow — and the NBA Cup championship trophy at center court as part of the logo. These are not decals placed on top of a regular court, these are specially designed courts.

The Lakers are set to play on that court again Friday, in their final NBA Cup group-play stage game against Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks (the outcome of that game does not impact the Lakers winning West Group B, but it could impact seeding for the knockout round). It’s also possible the Lakers could host a quarterfinal NBA Cup game on that same court on Dec. 8 or 9.

“I noticed that guys were slipping, but I also noticed that guys were falling prior to that. So I don’t know,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said postgame, adding the team would look into it.”Sometimes courts just don’t dry well, when there’s condensation on it.”

The Lakers share Crypto.com Arena with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, who hosted Ottawa the night before. It is not uncommon for NBA courts in buildings that host both hockey and basketball teams to experience condensation issues.