Parquet

Parquet is a wooden sports floor made of short hardwood strips — traditionally maple — arranged in a repeating geometric, often checkerboard, pattern rather than long parallel boards. Laid over a sprung subfloor, it gives basketball and indoor sports a lively, consistent bounce and some shock absorption underfoot. The most famous example is the parquet floor historically associated with the Boston Celtics.

Indoor courts are increasingly built from long-strip maple rather than true block parquet, but "parquet" endures as shorthand for a classic indoor hardwood floor. Because it is a wooden surface it needs climate control — humidity swings can warp or loosen the wood — and regular refinishing to maintain grip and line markings.