Indianapolis prepares for historic sports year in 2024
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The city of Indianapolis this year will host maybe the biggest collection of sporting events in the Circle City’s history.
Most notably, the NBA All-Star weekend is coming to Indianapolis in mid-February.
This will be the first time the city has hosted the NBA All-Star events since 1985, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson’s Western Conference team defeated Michael Jordan and Larry Bird’s Eastern Conference squad in the Hoosier Dome.
Of course, the city will continue to host some of its biggest annual events throughout the year, such as the Indianapolis 500, NFL Scouting Combine, the Big Ten Football Championship Game, and the Horizon League men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
In addition to these Indianapolis staples, the city will also host other big national events such as the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, the NIT Championship, and Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, the Division I men’s swimming and diving championships and more.
The legendary year will also include the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in swimming, and the city is making history with this event.
For the first time in the history of the Olympics, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will take place on a football field as Lucas Oil Stadium will host the nine-day event.
In June, the Colts stadium will host the biggest swimming event in the nation, determining who will represent Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Three temporary pools will be installed over the field.
As always, the city will continue to play host to home regular season and playoff games for the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, and the rest of the city’s professional and college sports teams.
The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Memorial Day weekend, and over 225,000 tickets have already been sold for the biggest motorsports event in the nation, according to Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal.
In addition to the Indy 500, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Brickyard 400, returning to the iconic oval in 2024.
2024 will undoubtedly be one of the most historic sports years for Indianapolis.
MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS IN INDIANAPOLIS IN 2024
- NBA All-Star Weekend: Feb. 16-18.
- NFL Scouting Combine: Feb. 27-March 4.
- Horizon League men’s and women’s basketball tournaments: March 12.
- NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, first and second rounds: March 22-24.
- NCAA Division I men’s swimming and diving championships: March 27-30.
- National Invitational Tournament: April 2 and 4.
- Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament: April 1 and 3.
- IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix: May 11.
- 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500: May 26.
- U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming: June 15-23.
- Brickyard 400: July 21.
- NHRA U.S. Nationals: Aug. 28-Sept. 2.
- Big Ten Football Championship Game: Dec. 7