The Phoenix Suns and Mercury, of North American basketball’s NBA and WNBA, respectively, are seeking a new arena naming rights partner after ending their deal with environmental tech company Footprint early.
Removal of Football Center signage and branding began yesterday, with the 17,071-seat arena in Arizona, US, temporarily reverting to its previous name PHX Arena while a new partner is sought.
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It is understood that Player 15 Group, the parent company for the Suns and Mercury, will manage naming rights negotiations internally and expects to announce a new partner ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Footprint, meanwhile, will remain as the official sustainability partner of the Suns and Mercury.
Stacey Mitch, Phoenix Suns' senior vice president of communications and broadcast, has said: "We were presented with a unique opportunity to reimagine and strengthen our partnership with Footprint to better align with their mission and commitment to sustainability and innovation."
The original deal, signed in 2021, was described at the time as long-term and included partnerships with Mercury and Spanish soccer club Real Mallorca, both owned by then-Suns owner Robert Sarver.
At the time, it was reported that Footprint had signed a 10-year contract worth around $9 million per season.
During the contract, the arena integrated Footprint’s plant-based fiber products, including disposable cups, plates, and other recyclable and compostable materials, which will continue to be used.
The next naming rights partner with be the fifth since the arena opened in 1992, behind America West (1992 to 2006), US Airways (2006 to 2015), Talking Stick Resort (2015 to 2020), and Footprint (2021 to 2025).
During times the venue has not had a partner, it has been named PHX Arena (2020) and Phoenix Suns Arena (2021).
This will be the first naming rights negotiation under new owner Mat Ishbia and Player 15 Group will be looking to capitalize on major events being hosted by the arena next year during negotiations.
The venue staged the WNBA All-Star Game last year and is set to host the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four and 2027 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Ishbia purchased the Suns and the Mercury in February 2023 for $4 billion from embattled previous owner Sarver, who sold the team following an NBA suspension and a $10 million fine for engaging in “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.”
The findings came as part of investigations by the governing body into allegations of historic racist, misogynistic, and hostile incidents by Sarver over his nearly two-decade tenure at the franchise.
Ishbia, the youngest team owner in the NBA at 42, is the chairman and president of US mortgage lender United Wholesale Mortgage and has a reported net worth of $5.1 billion. His brother Justin, a founding partner of private equity firm Shore Capital, is also part of the ownership group.
