Storied Duke Basketball Venue May Host NBA Game Next Year

The Duke basketball program's Cameron Indoor Stadium is in the running to play host to the 2026 NBA Cup title bout.

Dec 16, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; A general view of the game ball during a break in the second half between the Duke Blue Devils and Lipscomb Bisons at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils won 97-73. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Across the first three years of the NBA Cup's existence, each of its semifinal and final contests has taken place in Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena. But the Duke basketball powerhouse has a chance at playing host to next year's edition of the in-season event in the Blue Devils' famed 9,314-capacity Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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"The NBA has Duke and Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., as among their strong options as a Cup championship game host," ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported this week, "potentially as soon as 2026."

Duke's social media account chimed with the following reaction on Thursday morning: "big if true."

big if true 🏰👀 pic.twitter.com/nSKBr8vmCL

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 18, 2025

Of course, if Cameron Indoor does secure that honor, it would surely add to Duke's popularity and standing as a premier producer of NBA talent. Case in point, two of last season's one-and-done Blue Devil freshmen, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, are now the top contenders for NBA Rookie of the Year honors, currently sitting No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the Kia Rookie Ladder.

Apr 4, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) and guard Kon Knueppel (7) during a practice session for the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

What Duke Basketball Head Coach Jon Scheyer Recently Said About His Focus on Churning Out NBA Stars

This past offseason, it was by design that fourth-year Duke basketball leader Jon Scheyer added former Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz assistant Evan Bradds to his staff in Durham.

• "We've really doubled down on the fact that this is the best place, hopefully, to win big-time basketball in college but also to develop to the NBA," the 38-year-old Scheyer explained following the Blue Devils' home win over the Howard Bison in November.

• "So, why not do everything that you're doing: your player development program, stylistically how you're playing offense and defense? And so, to hire somebody who has lived in that world for eight years, that has a passion for college, that understands Duke, that has a good rapport with me, I think is incredibly important. And [Bradds] has been great for us..."

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Jayson Tatum, NBA Boston Celtics Player helps coach alongside Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer during the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Back in October, in addition to all of the above strategies to put Duke basketball on top in terms of NBA stardom, Scheyer snagged 2016-17 Blue Devil small forward and 2024 NBA champion Jayson Tatum for a mentor role as the program's first-ever Chief Basketball Officer.

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