Cameron Indoor Stadium may soon trade its sea of blue and white for a splash of NBA flair. The legendary home of the Duke Blue Devils-where banners hang, rivalries rage, and the Cameron Crazies make their presence known-has emerged as a top candidate to host a future Emirates NBA Cup Championship game. And if that happens, we’re talking about a serious shift in how the league thinks about its showcase events.
The NBA Cup, which launched in 2023, has quickly become a fixture of the early regular-season calendar. All 30 teams take part in the in-season tournament, which features a Group Play stage followed by a Knockout Round.
This year, the semifinals and final were held in Las Vegas, where the New York Knicks took down the San Antonio Spurs to claim the 2025 title. But with the league exploring new ways to elevate the Cup’s profile, it seems they’re looking beyond the bright lights of Vegas-and straight into the heart of college basketball tradition.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the NBA has identified Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, as a “strong option” to host the Cup Championship as early as 2026. That’s not just a curveball-it’s a potential game-changer.
Let’s break this down.
Cameron Indoor isn’t just another college gym. It’s a cathedral of basketball history.
From the legendary Mike Krzyzewski era to the annual Duke-North Carolina slugfests, the building has seen more than its fair share of iconic moments. But it’s also small by NBA standards, with a capacity of just over 9,000.
What it lacks in size, though, it more than makes up for in atmosphere. The place boils on game nights.
The fans are practically on top of the court. The noise?
Relentless. The energy?
Unmatched.
That’s the allure for the NBA. Imagine a Cup Championship game-say, Rockets vs.
Nuggets-unfolding in that kind of setting. It wouldn’t feel like a typical NBA environment.
It would feel like something different. Something special.
And that’s exactly what the league seems to be chasing with the in-season tournament: a new energy, a new vibe, a new way to make early-season games matter.
Of course, there are questions.
Durham isn’t exactly an NBA epicenter. Charlotte, home of the Hornets, is a couple of hours down the road, but the Triangle isn’t a pro basketball market in the traditional sense. And while the Cameron Crazies are legendary for their loyalty to Duke, would they show up in full force for an NBA Cup Final that doesn’t feature their beloved Blue Devils?
That’s the million-dollar question. Because while the venue might bring the mystique, the magic only works if the crowd buys in. Still, there’s a real argument to be made that Cameron Indoor-because of its history, its intimacy, and its intensity-could deliver a one-of-a-kind showcase for the NBA’s newest trophy.
At the end of the day, this move would be bold. Unconventional.
And that’s exactly why it’s on the table. The NBA Cup is still finding its identity, and placing its championship in a place like Cameron Indoor could help carve out a unique space in the basketball calendar.
If the league is serious about making the Cup feel different, not just another game on the schedule, then putting it in a venue that feels different makes a lot of sense. And there’s no place in basketball quite like Cameron.