After Las Vegas served as the ultimate destination of the first three editions of the NBA Cup, the league is taking the finale of its in-season tournament to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The NBA announced Tuesday that the NBA Cup championship game for 2026 will be played at Hinkle on Friday, Dec. 11.
The longtime home of Butler University, Hinkle has also hosted the likes of the National Invitation Tournament, the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and the NBA’s Indianapolis Olympians (1949-53). It was the home of the Indiana High School Boys Basketball Tournament for decades and the site of the game that inspired the movie “Hoosiers.”
A news release from the league said the NBA intended to bring the NBA Cup championship to “distinctive stages that honor the sport’s history.”
“Hinkle Fieldhouse offers a special setting to capture the excitement and drama of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship,” NBA Head of Global Events Kelly Flatow said in a statement. “Playing the Championship in an iconic basketball environment like this will further establish it as a signature moment on the NBA calendar.”
The in-season tournament pits representatives from the Eastern and Western Conferences in the championship game with a cash prize for players on the line. In 2025, the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs for the title, which turned out to be a preview of the NBA Finals that saw the same matchup and same result.
It was not clear whether the semifinals will also be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. From 2023 through 2025, the final four teams standing went to Las Vegas to contest the semis as well as the title game.
–Field Level Media
