Love it or hate it, the NBA Cup is here to stay. In 2023, the NBA Cup in-season tournament launched to boost interest in the first half of the basketball season and regain viewership from the NFL. Despite initial criticism from fans, the tournament has chugged along and even gained traction. The New York Knicks won the 2025 NBA Cup with a victory over the San Antonio Spurs (a foreshadowing of the NBA Finals matchup), and that Cup championship game, like the two before it, was held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Now, the league is moving the championship game to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the historic home to the NCAA Butler Bulldogs.
The NBA plans to take advantage of the Cup championship game’s singularity to showcase iconic college basketball arenas. The move to Hinkle Fieldhouse is the first step in that multi-year process. Hinkle Fieldhouse opened in 1928, and hosted home games for the NBA’s Indianapolis Olympians (1949-1953) back in the early days of the league. It has also served as a venue for the NCAA, the WNBA’s Indiana Fever (2020-2022), and the first-ever basketball game between the United States and the Soviet Union half a century ago.
The win-or-go-home game will take place on Friday, December 11, 2026, and will stream on Prime Video. If you’re interested in attending, you can sign up for ticket alerts from the NBA here. Tickets will go on sale in the fall, and special ticket and hospitality packages are already available here.
Hinkle Fieldhouse seats 9,100 fans, around a 50% decrease from T-Mobile’s Arena’s seating capacity. Which means access to the game will be much more limited, and tickets will likely be harder to come by.
Next Steps
With the game just five months away, now is the time to start making travel arrangements if you plan to attend. While there is nothing else currently on the entertainment schedule in Indy that weekend, that is likely to change once the NBA schedule is released and as winter concerts are announced. Check out our Ultimate Sports Calendar for updates on events in Indianapolis to slot in around the NBA Cup Championship game.
And definitely sign up for ticket alerts from the NBA to give yourself the best chance of attending.
