NBA makes plans for historic 98-year-old court
One of the most important buildings in basketball history will be getting the NBA Cup treatment this season.
Historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the home of Butler University's basketball program and one of the filming locations for the classic sports movie 'Hoosiers' (which turns 40 this year), will be hosting the NBA Cup Championship game next season.
The announcement, made by the league on Tuesday, will mark the first time that a regular season basketball game is played at the 98-year-old arena since 1953.
Hinkle has played host to multiple major basketball games throughout its history - including many rounds of the NCAA Tournament during the Covid-impacted 2021 season. It also played host to the East Regional of the same tournament in 1940.
Nicknamed 'Indiana's Basketball Cathedral,' the venue was also the home of the NBA's Indianapolis Olympians from 1949 until their folding 1953.
Collegiately, the building has been home to the Butler Bulldogs (now of the Big East Conference) since its opening in 1928. Butler reached back-to-back national championships in 2010 and 2011 under now-Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens - losing to Duke and UConn.
Hinkle Fieldhouse adds another chapter to its legacy 👏
Now, it's the home of the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup Championship 🏆 pic.twitter.com/a3H3vv2qb7— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) June 30, 2026
Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University will host the 2026 NBA Cup Final
Hinkle Fieldhouse opened in 1928 and has hosted presidents and power forwards alike
Hinkle Fieldhouse was the filming location for the championship scene of the movie 'Hoosiers'
Reaction to this news was overwhelmingly positive across social media - with basketball fans and media praising the move.
'Best idea ever!' posted longtime college basketball analyst Seth Davis. 'Coaches should be required to ask their players to use a tape measure to assess the height of the rims,' he added - referencing the famous movie.
'Best decision the league has made in YEARS. Count me in,' wrote one fan.
Another said, 'This is probably one of the coolest things the league has done in recent memory.'
Hinkle has hosted events including speeches from at least six US presidents and various other attractions including circuses and ice shows.
In pop culture, Hinkle may best be known as the home of the Indiana High School Boy's Basketball championship.
It was at Hinkle in 1954 when Milan High School defeated a physically larger Muncie Central High School team to win the state title. Milan's victory - known in the state as the 'Milan Miracle' - became the inspiration for the fictitious Hickory High School in the 1986 movie 'Hoosiers.' The final scenes of the movie's championship game were filmed at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson is seen during his Villanova days playing against Butler in 2017
One of many basketball clinics at Hinkle Fieldhouse is pictured in this photo from 2010
Future Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges trap Butler's Andrew Chrabascz
Additionally, in 1955 and 1956, Indianapolis' Crispus Attucks High School - led by future NBA champion, MVP and Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson - became the first all-black high school to win consecutive state basketball titles and did so on Hinkle's floor.
This marks the first time the NBA Cup Final will be held outside Las Vegas, which hosted the previous three finals.
'Hinkle Fieldhouse offers a special setting to capture the excitement and drama of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship,' NBA Head of Global Events Kelly Flatow said when announcing the move.
'Playing the championship in an iconic basketball environment like this will further establish it as a signature moment on the NBA calendar.'
The Los Angeles Lakers won the first NBA Cup in 2023 - followed by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024 and the New York Knicks last season.
The Knicks then went on to become the first team in NBA history to win 'the double' and claimed the NBA Finals title in five games over the San Antonio Spurs - the same team they beat in the NBA Cup Final.
Fan loudly expresses unbridled enthusiasm for Mexico's World Cup goal ... at Dodgers-A's game
Pitcher Justin Wrobleski struck out 11 during the Dodgers’ 9-3 victory against the Athletics on Tuesday in Sacramento. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images) 
By Chuck Schilken Staff Writer Follow July 1, 2026 11:39 AM PT - Click here to listen to this article
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- During the Dodgers-A’s game in Sacramento, a fan in a Mexico jersey erupted in a thunderous “GOOOAL!” behind home plate.
- His outburst came after El Tri scored during a 2-0 World Cup knockout victory against Ecuador at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, more than 2,000 miles away from Sutter Park Field.
- On the field, Justin Wrobleski struck out 11 over seven innings in a 9-3 Dodgers win, giving the left-hander his 10th victory and manager Dave Roberts his 1,000th.
A fan sitting behind home plate at the Dodgers-Athletics game Tuesday night really had his head in the game — but not the game he was attending.
In fact, his mind was on a completely different sport, at least during one particular moment in the bottom of the third inning.
The Dodgers were up 5-1 with one out as left-hander Justin Wrobleski was set to throw a 2-and-2 pitch to Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte. Without warning, a distinct and very loud sound started booming through Sutter Health Park.
“GOAL! GOOAL! GOOOAL! GOOOOAL! GOOOOOOOOOAL!”
The delighted screams were coming from a man wearing a Mexico soccer jersey in the first row. Apparently El Tri had just scored during its eventual 2-0 victory over Ecuador in a World Cup knockout game that was happening at the same time in Mexico City at Azteca Stadium.
This fan was going wild after Mexico scored in the World Cup at the Dodgers/Athletics game 🤣 pic.twitter.com/fP9EQMNNmo
— MLB (@MLB) July 1, 2026
Mexico had not won in a World Cup knockout round since 1986, a fact that perhaps contributed to the fan’s over-the-top reaction to one of the goals. He stood up from his premium seat at the baseball stadium, held his fists above his head, leaned back and vocalized his approval of what had occurred at a completely different sporting event more than 2,000 miles away.
Seriously, the dude’s shrieks could be heard echoing in the A’s dugout on the NBC Sports California broadcast of the game. The fans around him appeared to be largely unfazed, with some seeming to share in the man’s enthusiasm (although slightly less energetic).
The pitcher and batter didn’t acknowledge the outburst, although Wrobleski’s pitch ended up in the dirt for a full count. The Dodgers starter recovered well, striking out Bolte with a 96-mph fastball on the next pitch to end the inning.
Wrobleski had a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings as the Dodgers cruised to a 9-3 victory. It was the 10th win of the season for Wrobleski and 1,000th in the career of manager Dave Roberts.
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Ohio: 116 School Districts Now Allow Armed Employees
Ohio: 116 School Districts Now Allow Armed Employees
Four years after Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed legislation allowing school boards to choose to allow teachers and other employees to be armed, 116 school districts have chosen to allow armed employees for classroom defense.
WOWO reported that the figure of “116 school districts” is derived from state data “as of June 17.”
The Ohio Capital Journal noted that the 116 districts include “more than 70 Ohio school districts and 15 Christian schools…[with] staff members who are authorized to carry weapons on school grounds.”
Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper criticized the training requirements for the growing number of armed school employees, saying, “It’s not a sufficient amount of training. We’re talking about highly intense situations that require a lot of not only tactical training on how to use weapons, but how to deal with making split-second decisions.”
She did not provide an instance where an armed teacher or employee has harmed someone since the law was signed by DeWine.
Antwerp district superintendent Marty Miller explained that his district chose to arm teachers and employees because they are in a rural setting with a longer police response time.
He said, “It’s just letting the public know that your children are protected.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. He is a lever action man in an AR-15 world. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at [email protected].
