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ISHPEMING — Robbins Inc., a company with deep roots in the Ishpeming community, has stepped onto the global stage as the creator of all 30 basketball courts for the National Basketball Association’s in-season tournament, now called the NBA Cup.

The NBA Cup will hold its championship game at 8:30 p.m. today and be televised on ABC. The Milwaukee Bucks face the Oklahoma City Thunder for the title.

The event is in its second season and designed to bring added excitement and intensity to the NBA regular season.

The Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, front left, brings the ball up court during an NBA Cup game on the team’s specially designed dark-blue floor used for these games during November. Each NBA team had its own color scheme and design for this in-season tournament, and every one of these floors was produced at the Robbins Inc. flooring mill in Ishpeming over the past year. (Photo courtesy Jeff Adriano)

It featured every NBA team, with specific regular-season games in November used as “pool play” that led to a knockout stage just in the past few weeks. The tournament offers a chance for teams to compete for a new title, the NBA Cup, one distinct from the traditional NBA championship.

“It’s a really big deal,” said Jeff Adriano, the Ishpeming plant manager for Robbins. “Knowing that in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Ishpeming, we’re doing something pretty neat … and I want readers to know that there is a manufacturer in Upper Michigan that is doing something as widely recognized as what we’re doing for the NBA.”

Robbins has partnered with the NBA for more than three decades, supplying courts for 16 teams’ game days and practice facilities for 22 of its 30 franchises.

But this latest project solidifies its role as the go-to manufacturer for the league’s playing surfaces.

The NBA has trusted Robbins for its courts, but starting this year, the company will not only provide courts for the NBA Cup, but also for the regular season, ensuring consistency for each of the 30 teams.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, center, dunks during the first half of an NBA Cup tournament quarterfinal game against the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday. (AP photo)

When the NBA approached Robbins for the NBA Cup project just over a year ago, the timeline was ambitious. With a plan to create 30 courts in a matter of months, Adriano said Robbins faced a challenge that would push its production capabilities to the limit.

Rising to the occasion, Robbins ramped up production by adding a second shift and hiring additional workers, cutting the time to build each court nearly in half.

A key factor in Robbins’ success lies in its innovative Rapid Latch system, a technology that separates their courts from the competition, Adriano said. Unlike most portable courts that rely on traditional bolts or drop-in systems, Robbins’ system ensures the panels remain tight and seamless, reducing gaps that can form as wood expands and contracts.

This not only improves the playing surface but also ensures that the court looks polished and professional during televised games. The precision and durability of the Rapid Latch system has become the gold standard in portable basketball courts.

Adriano likened the system to the clasp on a ski boot, allowing for precise adjustments based on the conditions.

The Celtics practice on an alternate floor, replacing the historic parquet court, as part of the NBA Cup prior to playing the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 12 in Boston. (AP file photo)

Beyond the NBA, Robbins has made its mark on courts for the Women’s National Basketball Association, NCAA college powerhouses like the University of Michigan and Duke, and even high schools.

But the NBA partnership brings special pride to the Ishpeming plant.

“How cool would it be to be sitting with your friends or your family and watching a basketball game and say, ‘You know what, I helped build that,'” Adriano said. “I have two sons and a daughter and, we were watching a game the other night, and my daughter was joking saying, ‘Hey, do you know what, what part of the floor or what panel did you build?’

“Knowing that, that you actually had a hand in doing something like that gets such national, international recognition. It gives me a real sense of pride.”

The company’s success is a reminder that great things can come from small places, proving that even a company from a small town in the U.P. can make its mark on the global stage.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.