Knowledge Base
NBA Preseason Games 2025
NBA Preseason Kicks off in Canada and Macau
The National Basketball Association kicks off its 2025-2026 season with preseason games in Canada and Macau. This years games featured the Toronto Raptors and Denver Nuggets facing off at Rogers Stadium in Vancouver and The Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets competing in Macau at The Venetian Arena. Both venues drew large enthusiastic crowds of basketball fans, as the NBA continues to bring the game of basketball to an ever larger global audience.
As in seasons past, Horner Sports Flooring was the NBA’s supplier of choice, to provide the courts for these important games. For decades, Horner’s ProKing® portable basketball floor has been the NBA’s first choice when sending a court to a distant location. Horner’s on-site technicians make sure every event goes as smooth as possible.
A Clean Basketball Floor
As the NBA migrates more and more to virtual advertising on the floor surface, the floor itself becomes ever more free of advertising. Without all the ads and staining effects found on most floors, these preseason floors show off just how even and consistent Horner Sports Floors are. When a floor is left clean, like thee, there is nowhere to hide imperfections like big gaps or miss graded lumber. It all has to be perfect, and they were.
Horner Sports Flooring supplies permanent and portable sports flooring to professional and collegiate teams as well as schools, gyms and private clubs around the world.
Extending the Life of Wood Flooring
Walking the Environmental Talk
Calling yourself an “Ecologically responsible flooring company” and actually living out that claim, are two, totally different things. To be an ecologically responsible flooring company, you need to provide innovative products that protect the environment.
What is Long Life ™ Flooring?
Horner Sports Flooring’s Long Life™ or L2 flooring option is just one product that proves our commitment to the environment. Long Life flooring provides the wear depth of 1 inch thick flooring (33/32”) in a ¾” (25/32”) flooring. So it not only provides an extended life floor, it does so using 25% less wood. This is accomplished by moving the tongue and groove lower in the profile and reducing them in size slightly. This can be done because modern milling techniques allow for more precise cutting and shaping. With more and more lumber mills providing less rough cut lumber over 1 inch, the availability and cost of raw material for 33/23” flooring is increasingly scarce and expensive. But with L2 you don’t’ need to spend up to get all the benefits of 33/32” flooring. The graphic below show how this is possible:
What are the Benefits of Long Life ™ Flooring?
With Long Life ™, you get an additional 3-4 sandings over the life of your floor. Under normal maintenance schedules, this can be 15-20 years, or more, of additional life. These benefits are available on nearly every Horner system that uses 25/32” flooring. That list includes nearly all systems. So if you are looking at replacing an old floor or are flooring a new facility, ask your architect to specify L2 – Long Life ™ wood flooring from Horner Sports Flooring and reap the benefits long into the future. In addition, you will be doing your part to use our natural resources responsibly.
Frequently asked Questions:
Q: Does using a smaller tongue and groove compromise the strength of the floor?
A: No. If Long Life™ flooring is properly installed and the environment maintained, it will perform like a 25/32″ floor with the life of a 33/32” floor.
Q: Are there special nailing requirements or special tools needed to install this flooring?
A: No. Standard methods and materials may be used.
Q: Are there any additional environmental credits available if I install this flooring?
A: None at this time. However, we strongly recommend submitting for a LEED Innovation & Design Process Credit, as this floor embodies the credit’s stated goal to recognize new technologies for their innovative building features and sustainable building techniques, not currently addressed by existing LEED Credits
Q: Can I mix Long Life flooring with standard 25/32” flooring?
A: Long Life ™ flooring cannot be mixed with standard tongue and groove flooring. That means it is not suited for repairs or patching standard wood floors.
If you have any questions about Horner Sports Flooring’s Long Life (TM) flooring option, contact us today.
Horner Sports Flooring Celebrates 50 Years of ProKing® Portable Basketball Floors
50 years of ProKing® Portable Basketball Floors
Horner Sports Flooring is proud to announce the 50th anniversary of its iconic ProKing® portable basketball floor. For half a century, ProKing® has been the benchmark for portable hardwood sports flooring systems, providing athletes and spectators with a durable, reliable, and performance-enhancing playing surface.
Introduced in 1974, ProKing® revolutionized the way portable basketball floors were designed and manufactured. Its innovative features, including lightweight, interlocking panels and easy, installation, requiring no tools or loose parts, set a new standard for portable floors. ProKing became a game-changer for colleges, professional sports organizations and especially venue managers. ProKing’s unique design allows for the shortest conversion time in the sports industry, meaning a basketball game can be played on the same day as another event, such as hockey. ProKing® floors have been used in countless tournaments, championships, and televised games, consistently delivering exceptional performance and durability.
The ProKing® portable basketball floor played an instrumental role in the growth of basketball as a world wide sport. Having the ability to pack a full size, professional level court into shipping containers, ship it to a country anywhere in the world and put on a demonstration game was huge. The court made its way to several countries as the floor of choice for The Summer Olympic Games. It was often deployed to military bases and was occasionally setup outside for games. As American products go, the ProKing® floor has lead a storied life.
At home, in the United States, The ProKing® portable basketball floor was underfoot for nearly every superstar that has played the game in the last 5 decades. It was the floor in use for most of the iconic moments in the sport. If there was a memorable event that happened in basketball, there is a very good chance it happened on a ProKing® floor.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ProKing®,” said Doug Hamar, President and CEO of Horner Sports Flooring. “This milestone is a testament to the quality, innovation, reliability and the industry’s acceptance of our products. ProKing® has been a cornerstone of our business for decades, and we are committed to continuing to provide our customers with the best possible flooring solutions.”
The Superior Dome Showdown Honoring Tom Izzo
Celebrating Basketball at The Superior Dome in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
It’s a moment decades in the making. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo, who has cemented his legacy at Michigan State, returned to his alma mater, Northern Michigan University, for one of the greatest honors in sports—a jersey retirement ceremony. On this special occasion, the Wildcats immortalized the coach’s incredible journey from a small-town player to a legendary figure in the world of college basketball.
The Superior Dome Showdown, a game between Northern Michigan and Michigan State basketball, may have been the largest sporting event ever held in the Upper Peninsula. But there’s more to this event than just Izzo’s celebrated return.
The game took place on a specially crafted court made by Horner Flooring, a company deeply tied to Michigan’s history of basketball. The combination of these elements—a hometown hero and a locally crafted court—brings the entire event full circle.
Tom Izzo's Wildcat Roots
Before his days of leading Michigan State to multiple Final Fours and a national championship, Izzo was a standout player at Northern Michigan University in the 1970s. He played guard for the Wildcats from 1973 to 1977, where his work ethic and leadership skills became apparent.
Though he found greater fame on the sidelines, guiding Michigan State’s Spartans to basketball prominence, those formative years in Marquette laid the foundation for his coaching philosophy—one rooted in hard work, loyalty, and grit.
It’s fitting, then, that NMU retired Izzo’s jersey. This honor highlights the deep bond between Izzo and the Northern Michigan community, a bond that has only grown stronger over the years despite his many accomplishments in East Lansing.
Horner Flooring: A Special Touch for a Special Night
To make the evening at the Superior Dome even more memorable, Horner Flooring, a company based in Dollar Bay, Michigan, crafted the custom hardwood court that was used during the event. Horner is renowned for producing top-tier basketball floors, with its products used in NBA arenas and college gyms across the country. Known for precision craftsmanship and durability, Horner’s floors provide the perfect foundation for players to perform at their best.
The pristine hardwood will not only serve as the stage for Izzo’s jersey retirement but also as a tribute to the legacy of basketball in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It’s a fitting contribution from a company that, like Izzo, has Michigan roots and a national reputation.
A Historic Night for the Northern Michigan University Community
As Tom Izzo stepped onto that custom Horner Flooring court for his jersey retirement ceremony, it marked a full-circle moment for the coach, the university, and the Upper Peninsula. It’s not just a celebration of one man’s career, but a recognition of how basketball and local craftsmanship are intertwined in Michigan’s culture.
For Michigan State and NMU students, fans, and basketball enthusiasts, this night at the Superior Dome was one to remember—a hometown hero returning to the place where his journey began, honored in the most fitting way possible: with his number retired on a court made by local artisans.
