N.B.A Commissioner Adam Silver made an interesting comment ahead of Tuesday’s NBA Cup title game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. Silver said some “legendary college arenas” could be considered to host the next NBA Cup title game, which has been held in Las Vegas for the past three years.
“We enjoyed our experience in Vegas,” Silver said on the NBA on Prime pregame show. “We’re talking to Amazon Prime about whether it makes sense to maybe go to some unique locations for the final game. For example, they’ve suggested some legendary college arenas. So we’re just looking at other ways to do this.”
Silver’s topic of conversation sparked a discussion about the Eye on College Basketball podcast, where CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish discussed which college arenas would make sense to host such a game. Parrish’s list included Allen Fieldhouse (home of Kansas), Cameron Indoor Stadium (home of Duke) and The Palestra (home of Penn).
“Take two of the best professional basketball teams in the world, some of the best basketball players in the world, and put them at Cameron Indoor,” Parrish said. “I know there are only 9,314 seats. But what does that mean? We are selling 9,000 fewer tickets for one match? That’s fine.”
Parrish’s list
- Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas)
- Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke)
- The Palestra (Penn)
- Hinkle Veldhuis (Butler)
- The Well (New Mexico)
Norlander’s roster includes Rupp Arena (home of Kentucky), Allen Fieldhouse (home of Kansas) and Hinkle Fieldhouse (home of Butler).
“I like the idea of going to a state that doesn’t have an NBA franchise,” Norlander said. “…because of the nature of the event and the uniqueness of the event, you might get people who are more willing to come than ever before.”
Norlander’s list
- Rupp Arena (Kentucky)
- Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas)
- Hinkle Veldhuis (Butler)
- Assembly Hall (Indiana)
- Dean E. Smith Center (North Carolina)
While it could be logistically challenging to play the NBA Cup title game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, it should be noted that Silver is a Duke alumnus and serves on the university’s board of trustees. There’s no guarantee that the next NBA Cup title game will be played on a college campus, but it’s a fun exercise and a possibility to think about.
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