Portland Trail Blazers: Did NBA 2K21 leak the Blazers’ new court design?

NBA 2K21 released its first trailer for this fall’s next generation consoles. It appears they also showed what the court could look like next season for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Earlier this week, 2K Sports sent NBA fans into a frenzy, with the first-ever gameplay trailer for NBA 2K21 for the upcoming PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X consoles. As one might expect, Portland Trail Blazers megastar and cover athlete Damian Lillard made multiple cameos.

The trailer showcased his dunking animations, as well as a close-up of his new-generation face scan, with added emotion and extra sweat. Upon first glance, what might have gone unnoticed is that the Moda Center looked a bit differently during the actual trailer tease.

The Portland Trail Blazers’ Reddit page first threw out the discussion, with user r/ChurroMemes noting the difference between the Blazers’ presumably old court, and the one highlighted here in the gameplay trailer. Here’s a look at the trailer, should you want to pick out the differences yourself.

The first thing that initially sticks out is the red three-point line. In the past, the Trail Blazers have opted for black lines and decal. And then, upon further glance, Lillard appears to be dunking in a red paint. During the 2019-20 season, the Moda Center paint was an off-white, almost light-beige type of color.

It deserves to be mentioned: the Blazers went with that special design this season, as a commemoration to that 1976-77 NBA championship team. In the past, they went with the red paint. And then, the last thing one can glean from the quick, limited camera angle are the sideline decal stickers on the sidelines, which appeared to be striped with black and white.

One Reddit member, r/UpperV03 offered a projection as to how the full court could potentially look in 2021 and beyond.

This wouldn’t necessarily be the first time that NBA 2K, intentionally or unintentionally spilled the beans on a court release; ahead of 2K20’s launch, they provided a look into what the Los Angeles Clippers’ new black-themed court would look like ahead of NBA tip-off.

As for what it means for the Trail Blazers more literal on-court fates, it likely bodes well. The last time the Blazers went with the red frontcourt paint, they were in the Western Conference Finals. If the NBA 2K21 trailer holds true, this would mark the third major court change since 2014-15. We have officially arrived in the dog days of the offseason.