The first NBA game held at Conseco Fieldhouse was on November 6, 1999, when the
Indiana Pacers played their regular-season home opener against the
Boston Celtics. Later that same season, the Pacers made it to the
2000 NBA Finals against the
Los Angeles Lakers. Games 3, 4, and 5 of that championship series were held at Conseco Fieldhouse, but the Pacers ended up losing that season's title four games to two. In 2000, the fieldhouse was also the site for the 2000
Ray Miron President's Cup finals, with two games of the series being played there. The
Indianapolis Ice won the series against the now-defunct
Columbus Cottonmouths 4 games to 3. Several games of the
2002 FIBA World Championship were played at Conseco Fieldhouse, including the semifinals and the final. In 2009, the fieldhouse was the site for the
2009 WNBA Finals. The
Indiana Fever took on the
Phoenix Mercury for games 3 and 4 of that series but ended up losing the series. Three years later, the Fever hosted the
2012 WNBA Finals for games 3 and 4 and beat the
Minnesota Lynx. Additionally, the
Indiana Firebirds of the
Arena Football League played at the fieldhouse from 2001 to 2004 and the Indianapolis Ice of the
Central Hockey League also played at the fieldhouse from 1999 to 2004. The venue also hosted select games for the
Indiana Ice of the
United States Hockey League. From 2002 to 2007, the fieldhouse served as the site of the
Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament in even-numbered years, while the tournament was held at the
United Center in Chicago in odd-numbered years. In 2008, the tournament was moved to Conseco Fieldhouse exclusively for five years, through 2012. The arena is also a frequent site of the
Big Ten women's basketball tournament. 2012 marked the 12th time in 13 years that the tournament had been held at the fieldhouse. On June 5, 2011, the
Big Ten Conference announced that beginning in 2013, the location of both of the conference basketball tournaments for the following four years would be alternated between the Chicago area and Indianapolis. Bankers Life Fieldhouse would again be the site for both men's and women's events in 2014 and 2016. The
2011 NCAA Women's Final Four was also held at the fieldhouse on April 3 and April 5 of 2011. For basketball, the venue seats 17,923 (18,345 from 1999 to 2006, 18,165 from 2006 to 2016). From 2011 to 2021, the fieldhouse hosted the
Crossroads Classic, an annual event that included the
Butler Bulldogs,
Indiana Hoosiers,
Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and
Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball teams. The
Professional Bull Riders brought its
Built Ford Tough Series bull riding tour, now known as the
Unleash the Beast Series, to the fieldhouse for the first time in January 2011. It was their second visit to Indianapolis; they first visited Indianapolis during the 2004 season when they held a BFTS event at the
RCA Dome. Gainbridge Fieldhouse is one of many concert venues in the city of Indianapolis. On March 11, 2019,
Metallica set a new attendance record at the venue with 18,274 fans at the venue. The previous record was held by
Billy Joel (16,594). In December 2017, during a press conference the Indiana Pacers announced that the arena would host the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. In late 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and other conflicts surrounding the
2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament which was also being held in Indianapolis the same year the
NBA announced the city would host the
2024 NBA All-Star Game instead of the 2021 game. The arena hosted games 3, 4, and 6 of the
2025 NBA Finals, but the Pacers ended up losing that season's title four games to three.
NCAA tournament Gainbridge Fieldhouse hosted first and second-round games of the
2017,
2022, and
2024 men's NCAA tournaments. The arena also hosted first, second, and regional semifinal (Sweet 16) round games of the
2021 men's tournament.
Professional wrestling In 2001,
World Championship Wrestling, also known as
WCW, hosted their PPV event
Sin at the arena. It also hosted many
WWE PPV events such as
The Great American Bash,
SummerSlam,
Survivor Series, and
Clash of Champions,
Fastlane, and
Wrestlepalooza in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2023, and 2025, respectively.
Auto racing In 2015, the fieldhouse hosted the Indy Invitational, with
midget car racing and
outlaw kart racing held on a
dirt track erected on the arena floor.
Arena football The fieldhouse was home to the
Indiana Firebirds of the
Arena Football League from 2001 to 2004 after moving from
Albany, New York.
High school sports In addition to professional events, the arena also hosts the
IHSAA state finals in wrestling as well as both girls and boys basketball. It also occasionally hosts other high school tournaments as well.
Concerts ==Renovations==