The NBA announced June 30 that the Emirates NBA Cup 2026 Championship will take place at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Dec. 11. The tournament debuted in 2023, with T-Mobile Arena as the sole semifinal and final host until this year. Previous Cup winners include the Los Angeles Lakers, the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks.
“Hinkle Fieldhouse offers a special setting to capture the excitement and drama of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship,” Kelly Flatow, NBA Head of Global Events 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.”
Along with being one of the most recognizable venues in basketball, Hinkle hosted the historic 1954 high school championship that inspired the movie “Hoosiers”. Most recently, it welcomed the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) semifinals and College Slam Duck & Three-Point contests.
Butler’s campus will see basketball programming during the leadup to the game, in hopes of building excitement among students.
Tickets to the event will go on sale this fall.