Video shows a breathtaking look at FIBA’s new ridiculously cool LED glass basketball court

Are high-tech courts like this really the future of basketball?

Ask any casual basketball fan; they’ll probably tell you the same thing — there is really nothing inherently wrong with the current standard court. But if an invention from FIBA becomes more widespread worldwide, we might have to start considering a new precedent.

This weekend, after rule changes from last year allowed FIBA to install LED glass basketball courts, the organization formally introduced these state-of-the-art floors during the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup.

And while it’s still early in the process, the first impressions make these reactive courts look very intuitive and very cool.

A comprehensive video from FIBA demonstrates what these LED courts are capable of:

While flashy and eye-catching, I’m not sure how I feel about this development. Knowing how American teams operate, it feels inevitable that advertisements would litter the floor. (Then again, it’s not as if FIBA doesn’t overload games with commercials anyway.) Never mind how the shifting graphics seem distracting for the players and are almost certainly taking away from the, you know, ongoing basketball.

I think this invention is a step forward for the sport, but I’m not optimistic it’s about actually making basketball “better,” per se.