Starting with the 2015-16 season, the home of the National Basketball Association’s Phoenix Suns, now known as US Airways Center, will become Talking Stick Resort Arena, as part of a multi-year deal.
The National Basketball Association’s Phoenix Suns and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community have announced that the US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix—which serves as the home of the Suns as well as the Phoenix Mercury women’s professional basketball team and the Arizona Rattlers professional arena football team, and also as a premier concert venue –will be renamed for the start of the Suns’ 2015-2016 season as Talking Stick Resort Arena.
The arena, which opened in 1992, has been named the US Airways Center, but American Airlines, now the owner of US Airways, has fulfilled all of its obligations and elected not to extend its naming rights agreement beyond the 2014-15 season, the Suns announced.
The Suns operate and manage all aspects of the arena under a long-term agreement with the City of Phoenix, which owns the facility. As the US Airways Center, the arena has hosted an average of 130 events each year, with a collective annual audience of one million people. In addition to professional sports and concerts, the arena is also known for its family content and is the host site each year for Disney on Ice, Marvel Adventure and Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Talking Stick Resort, a AAA Four Diamond Rated Resort and central landmark within the emerging Talking Stick Cultural and Entertainment Destination in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, is locally owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The 240,000 sq. ft. resort property includes 496 guest rooms, 11 restaurants and lounges, a world-class spa, a 650-seat showroom, a 25,000-sq. ft. grand ballroom, cultural center, and more than 100,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor meeting space.
Talking Stick Golf Club, adjacent to the resort and hotel property, is a public facility also located on, and owned by, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The golf club features two championship golf courses designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, along with The Wildhorse Grille.
The new naming-rights agreement for the downtown venue is a multi-year deal that builds substantially on the existing agreement between the two parties. The name change will be visible throughout the facility, with the new name of Talking Stick Resort Arena to be displayed not only through prominent signage on the exterior of the building, but also on the underbelly of the center-hung scoreboard, on the arena’s rooftop and on the Suns and Mercury basketball courts.
The Casino Arizona Pavilion, the arena’s main lobby area, will retain its name. Additional details on the provisions of the naming-rights agreement will be released as the transition begins.
“Like Talking Stick Resort, [the Phoenix arena] has become an iconic destination for entertainment in Arizona,” said Diane Enos, President of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, as the announcement was made. “Thousands of families and individuals have created long-lasting memories at this venue, which makes its new name, ‘Talking Stick Resort Arena,’ all the more meaningful.
“We have a shared commitment with the Phoenix Suns in building a sense of community in the [Phoenix-Scottsdale] Valley, and we are honored to help them provide a place for so many people to gather and celebrate,” Enos added.
“We could not be more excited about our expanded relationship with Talking Stick Resort,” said Phoenix Suns President Jason Rowley. “Talking Stick Resort and Casino Arizona has been a trusted and valued partner of the Phoenix Suns for many years. This naming-rights agreement brings our partnership to a new level and will have an astral impact on the visibility of their support for the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and the entire community.”
“This is an exciting day for Phoenix, and another example of what an incredible partner the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is for all of us,” said City of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton. “We welcome the new name and look forward to the day when a Suns championship banner hangs from the rafters at Talking Stick Resort Arena.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.