The NBA is making changes to the schedule and location for the NBA Cup Final.
The NBA revealed today that the final will move to the 9,100-seat Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NBA Cup Final has been played in Las Vegas since the first edition in 2023. The game will also be moved from Tuesday night to Friday. The final has been on Tuesday the last two years, though it was on a Saturday night for its inaugural edition.
The game will remain exclusive to Prime Video.
“Hinkle Fieldhouse offers a special setting to capture the excitement and drama of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship,” said NBA Head of Global Events Kelly Flatow 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 NBA Cup is unique compared to every other major American professional club tournament other than the Super Bowl because it is played at a neutral site. That was an intentional decision, but it certainly decreased the passion of the crowd. For better or worse, part of what makes the NBA playoffs so special are home crowds. The NBA has faced criticism, especially from Charles Barkley, over the shortcomings in the meaning of the NBA Cup.
The move to Hinkle won’t completely change that, but there is reason to believe that a 10,000-seat arena in Indianapolis will provide a different crowd compared to a 20,000-seat arena in Vegas. The NBA seems to be betting the more “homey” conditions in Indianapolis will bring more passionate fans instead of corporate ones.
Increasing viewership by changing the atmosphere for the NBA Cup might be the goal. The 2025 NBA Cup Final between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks averaged 3.07 million viewers on a Tuesday night, up 3% from Bucks-Thunder in 2024 but down 33% from Pacers-Lakers in 2023. Reflecting Barkley’s criticism, that still pales in comparison to the NBA playoffs, which in 2026 averaged 6.35 million viewers across the entire postseason.
On the other hand, Friday night is known as one of the worst for viewership. Even in the out-of-home measurement era, people are most likely to be out doing other things on a Friday night compared to virtually any other time.
Interestingly, one thing the announcement did not do is say where the semifinals of the NBA Cup will be played. In the first three years, both the semifinals and finals were played in Las Vegas. That could result in some interesting location decisions also intended to improve the atmosphere. Even moving the semifinals to home sites could provide a beneficial effect to the NBA Cup.
The 2026 NBA Cup Final will be played on Friday, December 11.
About Manny Soloway
Manny Soloway is a Iowa based writer focusing on TV ratings. He is also the founder of the TV Media Blog substack.