Emirates NBA Cup 2026
NBA to hold scavenger hunt for 2026 Emirates NBA Cup Championship tickets
Gordon Hayward, now the executive basketball advisor at Butler University, speaks about the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Ben Lambert, for NBA.com
September 30, 2026 11:53 PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse, on the campus of Butler University, will serve as the site of the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup Championship.
The countdown to the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup Championship begins Thursday, Oct. 1, as the NBA, Butler University and the City of Indianapolis partner to give away five sets of tickets to the game with a scavenger hunt.
Tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET, the NBA will unveil a larger-than-life Emirates NBA Cup trophy outside of Hinkle Fieldhouse and, through @ButlerAthletics, @IndSportsCorp and @VisitIndy on Instagram, reveal the locations of five Emirates NBA Cup game balls placed at locations in the city connected to Indianapolis’ basketball history and the Championship game coming to Hinkle Fieldhouse.
People that collect one of the five Emirates game balls and return it to the Fieldhouse will earn tickets to the Championship — and a chance to take in basketball history.
Former NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward, now the executive basketball advisor at Butler University, played his college basketball at the historic venue, which served as the home to the Indiana High School basketball title game for decades.
In 1954, Milan High School, with an enrollment of 162 students, defeated Muncie Central 32-30 at the Fieldhouse to take the state championship, inspiring the film Hoosiers. The court there is still the same.
“It’s a special place, obviously, to play basketball,” said Hayward. “To have a major NBA event at Hinkle and get more people aware of the magic that is Hinkle Fieldhouse, I think it’s really cool.”
The arena opened in 1928, becoming, at the time, the largest basketball-specific arena in the country. It’s the sixth-oldest college basketball arena still in use, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Over the years, Indiana basketball royalty has played there, Hayward said — John Wooden, Oscar Robertson, George McGinnis, Rick Mount, Bobby Plump.
Hayward got the chance to first play there in high school, where he “laid an egg,” and came back in college when he committed to Butler. The gym was cooled by large fans; pro players came in for “legendary games” during the summer; it served as an “electric” home for the Butler Bulldogs, which now play in the Big East.
“I love it there. It’s one of the big reasons I went there,” said Hayward. “There’s just this buzz in the air when you’re around, hearing the basketballs bounce on that wooden floor. Growing up in Indiana, it’s a special moment.”
Hinkle Fieldhouse, on the campus of Butler University.
The Fieldhouse, sometimes called “Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral,” is an integral part to the state’s basketball tradition, which Hayward compared to high school football in Texas.
“It’s what we all do. We grow up with the hoop in our backyard and everybody plays, probably because there’s really nothing else to do, especially in the winter. I remember going to games as a kid when it was a single class basketball state championship, and the whole town would go to the gym on Friday nights to watch the game, Saturday nights, whenever the game was,” said Hayward. “It’s just community-driven. I like to tell people that we play basketball the right way. The youth basketball in Indiana is different then any place I’ve been.”
He called for fans to come out and experience the atmosphere at the Championship, noting it’ll be a unique chance to see the NBA in a “close-knit” venue.
“I hope (the players) feel like they’re a part of basketball history after playing in Hinkle Fieldhouse,” said Hayward.
Tickets to the Emirates NBA Cup 2026 Championship will go on sale at 12 p.m. ET at NBAEvents.com.
The Emirates NBA Cup 2026 tips off Friday, Oct. 30 in NBA team markets. Group Play will continue through Friday, Nov. 27, followed by the Knockout Rounds, before the tournament culminates with the winner-take-all Emirates NBA Cup Championship on Friday, Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, streaming exclusively on Prime Video.
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