Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lakers' Upcoming Change Draws Attention on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jackson Stone | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 3:09 PM ET

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers' 2025-26 season began with a letdown courtesy of a 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors at home. Luka Doncic was brilliant in this contest, scoring 43 points, but he didn't get nearly enough help from his Los Angeles teammates to fend off a talented Golden State team.

The Lakers are hoping to weather the storm with LeBron James out due to injury, and soon, the level of competition will go up another notch when the NBA Cup games begin on October 31, with the winner advancing to the Final Four-esque tournament in Las Vegas in early December.

For NBA Cup games, each team introduces an alternative court on which to play their home games, and on Friday afternoon, the Lakers revealed their new look for the tournament, featuring bright yellow hardwood with purple baselines.

Our NBA Cup Court pic.twitter.com/mOlA6GfWZZ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 24, 2025

Fans on X had a variety of reactions to the new court design.

"Our kind of court! Loving the purple vibes. Looks incredible," wrote one fan.

Others couldn't have cared less about what court the team plays on as long as they're winning games.

"Bro just win games against good teams. That’s all we want," they wrote.

Some fans noticed that the colors were not exactly reminiscent of the team's iconic purple and gold.

"Ahhh classic Lakers purple and….banana yellow," they noted.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) against the Minnesota Timberwolves.© Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Overall, the NBA Cup has drawn a variety of reactions from fans across the league throughout its first two seasons. The Lakers won the first-ever NBA Cup back in 2023, knocking off the Indiana Pacers in the championship game after blowing out the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinal round.

This year, the Lakers will be playing at least a good chunk of their NBA Cup games without James, who is expected to be out until at least mid-November due to injury. Doncic looked ready to pick up the slack with his performance against Golden State, but concerns about the team's roster-building and lack of both three-and-D wings as well as competent rim protectors proved to be justified in the loss.

The Lakers will next take the floor on Friday evening at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:00 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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