Central Bank Center is going to sell pieces of the old basketball court at Rupp Arena with the installation of a new floor coming this season. With that, a fan provided an idea today that his wife had when boards from a hardwood were last available at Kentucky.
On Kentucky Sports Radio on Thursday, a fan texted in to Matt Jones that his wife had made his wedding ring out of the court that the Wildcats played on from the 1970s through the start of the 2000s. He then sent in a photo of it in with a certificate of authenticity.
“One person writes, ‘Matt, my wedding ring is made out of the piece of the old Rupp floor from the 70s and 80s. My wife got a piece and put it in my wedding ring,” Jones read.
Kentucky was supposed to retire the court that they used through last season in this past December. However, the new floor was only utilized for one game after complaints that it was not up to standard. With that, it was only used once on December 2nd, 2024 in what was actually an 80-73 loss at home for Kentucky to UNC Wilmington.
Some in Big Blue Nation will be looking to buy those pieces that saw action from Tubby Smith all the way through the end of the tenure of John Calipari. From there, there’s no telling what those boards could be used for as evidenced by this fan today.
Central Bank Center installing new court, selling old floor at Rupp Arena
Ben Roberts of The Herald-Leader recently spoke to Brian Sipe, the general manager of Central Bank Center, who confirmed the new court at Rupp Arena will be installed by the time that the upcoming season starts.
The manufacturer, Robbins Sports Surfaces, promised to create a new court free of charge after one was supposed to be used by last season. Kentucky finished the season on the old court but the replacement has been finished in time for the program to use it during a summer practice.
That new court will debut on October 23rd for Kentucky’s first exhibition versus Kentucky Wesleyan.
If you’re looking for a cool piece of memorabilia, Sipe told Roberts that Rupp is partnering with a company to sell pieces of the old court, which was in place from 2001 through 2024, to fans. An official announcement will come in the next few weeks, but Sipe said the court will be cut up and sold “in all kinds of different facets — from a paperweight to a piece of furniture”.