INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) -- Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse will host the NBA Cup final, the league announced on Tuesday.
The NBA was looking for a new, historic venue to host the title game. Butler athletic director Grant Leiendecker said the process to look for a historic venue started six or seven months ago.
"When they talked about historic and intimate and really having the chance to tell the story of basketball, we're obviously at the top of that list," Leiendecker said. "So we put our name in the hat and started putting tentacles out and networking and back-channeling as best we could."
Leiendecker said he could not be more excited. He shared what the pitch was to bring the game to Hinkle Fieldhouse.
"You walk in this building, look around, and you're sold," Leindecker said.
He mentioned the history of Hinkle Fieldhouse, dating back nearly 100 years to the first game between Butler and Notre Dame in 1928. Hinkle Fieldhouse also hosted the ABA All-Star Game back in 1968, as well as numerous famous high school basketball games, including Milan's Cinderella state title win in 1954 and Crispus Attucks' historic state championship in 1955, led by Oscar Robertson.
"It checked every box in terms of what they were looking for from a history standpoint: the size of the venue, the camera angles, the upgrades we've done to the building, the basketball-centric state and love for the game in this state," Leiendecker said. "I think all those things combined is what led them to want to host the event here."
"There's no greater place to hold a basketball game than here," Leiendecker added.
He said it's been really cool to see the NBA world's response to the news, saying he thinks they're excited about it.
Leiendecker said it was a partnership between Indiana Sports Corp, Visit Indy, and Pacers Sports and Entertainment that helped Butler get the game to Hinkle Fieldhouse.
This will be the fourth edition of the NBA Cup. The Pacers played in the inaugural championship game in 2023, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Milwaukee Bucks won in 2024, and the New York Knicks won in 2025.
The 2026 NBA Cup final will be played on Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
