Originally namedConseco Fieldhouse, after the financial firmConseco, the arena was renamedBankers Life Fieldhouse, before Gainbridge became the naming rights sponsor in 2021.
Ellerbe Becket designed the arena's distinctive brick and glass facade to evoke Indiana's classic high school and collegefield houses. Unlike most other North American sports arenas, the facility was designed primarily for basketball. The arena can accommodate anNHL-sized rink, but the ice hockey seating capacity is reduced to 12,500 in an asymmetrical configuration.[7]
The arena was originally named Conseco Fieldhouse, as thenaming rights to the venue were sold toConseco, a financial services organization based in nearbyCarmel. In May 2010, the company renamed itself CNO Financial Group, but the fieldhouse retained the Conseco name. In December 2011, CNO Financial Group changed the name of the fieldhouse to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, after one of its subsidiaries,Bankers Life and Casualty.[8] CNO decided not to renew its naming sponsorship after it expired on June 30, 2019.[9] On September 27, 2021, the fieldhouse announced that Indianapolis-based financial platform Gainbridge would be the new naming partner for the fieldhouse in a multi-year partnership.[10]
The first NBA game held at Conseco Fieldhouse was on November 6, 1999, when theIndiana Pacers played their regular-season home opener against theBoston Celtics.[11] Later that same season, the Pacers made it to the2000 NBA Finals against theLos 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.[12][13]
From 2002 to 2007, the fieldhouse served as the site of theBig Ten Conference men's basketball tournament in even-numbered years, while the tournament was held at theUnited 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 theBig 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, theBig 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.[14] The2011 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).
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 byBilly Joel (16,594).[17]
In December 2017, during a press conference the Indiana Pacers announced that the arena would host the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.[18] In late 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and other conflicts surrounding the2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament which was also being held in Indianapolis the same year theNBA announced the city would host the2024 NBA All-Star Game instead of the 2021 game.[19]
The arena hosted games 3, 4, and 6 of the2025 NBA Finals, but the Pacers ended up losing that season's title four games to three.
The fieldhouse is notable for being the location of many landmark moments for the professional wrestling groupThe Shield, who debuted on November 18, 2012, at Survivor Series,[27] broke up on the June 2, 2014 episode ofWWE Raw[28] and reunited on the October 9, 2017 episode ofWWE Raw.[29]
In August 2025, WWE announced a newPLE, namedWrestlepalooza to take place at the arena. This is the inaugural event under the new five-year agreement between WWE and ESPN, which introduces Premium Live Events toESPN platforms. The event is notable for beingJohn Cena's final appearance in Indianapolis during his 2025 Farewell Tour.[30]
In addition to professional events, the arena also hosts theIHSAA state finals in wrestling as well as both girls and boys basketball. It also occasionally hosts other high school tournaments as well.
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. The result of the design is a greatly improved visual experience from nearly every seat in the building. Additionally, a new sound system was installed.[72]
In April 2019, theMarion 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. The Pacers committed to remaining in Indianapolis for at least 25 more years as part of the renovation agreement.[73] Construction occurred in two phases. Almost all of the construction work took place during the Pacers offseasons.[74][75] The project displaced the Fever for all of the 2020 and 2021 WNBA seasons, as well as part of the 2022 season; for 2022, the Fever played the first section of the schedule at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but after the NBA season ended, the Fever played games atIndiana Farmers Coliseum.
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. In 2006 The Ultimate Sports Road Trip reaffirmed Conseco Fieldhouse as the best venue in all 4 of the major sports leagues. "The Ultimate Sports Road Trip has recently concluded a re-scoring and re-evaluation of all 122 franchises in the four major sports, based on our personal visits to each of the teams in a journey that began in 1998. Based on our criteria, Conseco Fieldhouse has again withstood scrutiny to be named the "best of the best" in the four major sports. Everything about Conseco Fieldhouse is top notch, a sparkling venue in a sparkling city," said Farrell and Kulyk.
In October 2004, the fieldhouse hosted the 2004FINA Short Course World Swimming Championships. A 25-meter 300,000-gallon competition pool and 174,000-gallon warm-up pool were temporarily installed. A total of 71,659 tickets were sold for the four-day event. On the evening of Saturday, October 11, 2004, the crowd set a record for the largest attendance at a U.S. Swimming event outside of the Olympics with 11,488 people.[citation needed]
In 2022, sportswriterBill Simmons called Gainbridge Fieldhouse "incredible", saying "the only arena I've ever been in NBA-wise, where I honestly felt like it felt different was the Indiana one, because they built it for basketball only." He further elaborated by saying "it feels like the fans are on top of the court. The corners come way out toward the baseline. That's still my favorite. All these other ones feel like variations [of the same thing]."[76]
^Opsahl, Sam; Verderame, Jyoti A. (2021)."Gainbridge Fieldhouse".Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indianapolis Public Library. RetrievedAugust 11, 2025.
