Conseco Fieldhouse

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Lore & Background

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 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.

In Their Own Story

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.

Reader's Guide

Ellerbe Becket designed the arena's distinctive brick and glass facade to evoke Indiana's classic high school and college field houses. Unlike most other North American sports arenas, the facility was designed primarily for basketball. The arena can accommodate an NHL-sized rink, but the ice hockey seating capacity is reduced to 12,500 in an asymmetrical configuration. For basketball, the venue seats 17,923 (18,345 from 1999 to 2006, 18,165 from 2006 to 2016). In 2012, a large scoreboard was added to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The scoreboard features twin 1080p high definition (HD) video screens, each measuring 50 feet (15 m) long – extending nearly foul line to foul line – by 21 feet (6.4 m) high. In addition to the HD screens running the length of the court, the innovative rectangular scoreboard design is capped by a 25 ft × 14 ft (7.6 m × 4.3 m) full 1080p HD video screen facing each baseline. Additionally, a new sound system was installed. In April 2019, the Marion County Capital Improvement Board approved a major renovation project for the fieldhouse. The $360 million project was completed in late 2022, and included a new outdoor entry plaza, new indoor gathering areas, and various interior enhancements.

Did You Know?

• The arena opened in November 1999 after a construction timeline of approximately 24 months (groundbreaking in July 1997).
• The first NBA game at the arena was on November 6, 1999, when the Pacers played the Boston Celtics.
• In 2005 and 2006, Conseco Fieldhouse was ranked the No. 1 venue in the NBA according to the Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily Reader Survey.
• On March 11, 2019, Metallica set a new attendance record at the venue with 18,274 fans.