The NBA’s in-season tournament started as a bold experiment. Now?
It’s a full-fledged event with a name - the Emirates NBA Cup - a shiny new trophy, and real buy-in from players, fans, and broadcast partners. What began as a midseason curiosity has quickly evolved into something with staying power.
And if NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has his way, the next evolution could take the Cup into the heart of college basketball country.
Before the Knicks wrapped up the title over the Spurs, Silver appeared on Amazon’s broadcast and floated a fascinating idea: future NBA Cup championship games could be held in “storied college arenas.” That’s not just a throwaway line - it’s a potential shift in how the league presents one of its newest and most intriguing events.
And if we’re talking storied arenas, there’s one that leaps off the page: Rupp Arena.
Why Rupp Arena Fits the NBA Cup Vision
Rupp isn’t just a college basketball venue - it’s a cathedral. Sitting in the middle of Lexington, it’s a building steeped in tradition, where basketball isn’t just played - it’s lived.
The passion in that building is generational, and the atmosphere? Electric.
If the NBA wants a neutral-site venue that still feels like a spiritual home for the sport, Rupp delivers.
From a logistics standpoint, it’s more than feasible. The NBA Cup takes place during a stretch of the college season when Kentucky is usually working through non-conference games and home tuneups.
Yes, shifting the schedule and swapping out the floor would be a challenge - but it’s the kind of challenge arenas like Rupp are built to handle. This is a venue that regularly flips between concerts, college hoops, and major events.
Hosting an NBA Cup final would be a high-profile addition, not an outlier.
The Business Side: Who Makes It Happen?
If the NBA is serious about bringing the Cup to college arenas, they’ll be talking to the people who already know how to turn those buildings into multi-use showcases. In Lexington, that means JMI Sports - the group that partners with Kentucky to manage Rupp and Kroger Field for everything from concerts to large-scale events.
This isn’t about stepping on the toes of the Wildcats program. It’s about maximizing the space and creating a win-win: the NBA gets a passionate, basketball-savvy crowd and a legendary venue, while Kentucky gets national exposure and a fresh revenue stream - all without asking fans to dig deeper into their wallets for more season tickets or higher prices.
And from a recruiting standpoint? It’s a subtle but powerful message. Hosting an NBA Cup final at Rupp tells future Wildcats that this is more than a college arena - it’s a stage for the pros, too.
The Scheduling Dance
Of course, there would be some gymnastics involved. Rupp’s calendar is already tight, and any Kentucky coach - whether it was John Calipari or now Mark Pope - will want every possible advantage during the season. But if the NBA is looking for a venue with deep basketball roots, a massive fanbase, and the infrastructure to handle a national broadcast, Rupp checks every box.
It’s not a done deal. Right now, it’s just an idea. But it’s one that makes a whole lot of sense.
Picture it: the NBA Cup final under the lights in Lexington. Rupp Arena packed to the rafters. Kentucky fans - some of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the sport - watching NBA stars battle for a trophy on the same floor where legends like Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, and Devin Booker once played.
If the league is serious about taking the Cup on the road and embedding it deeper into the basketball culture of this country, then there’s no way the conversation doesn’t eventually lead to the Bluegrass.
Because when it comes to combining history, passion, and spectacle, Rupp Arena might just be the perfect stage.