The new Phoenix Suns and Mercury owners are investing in their teams’ futures on and off the court.
On Thursday, the Suns and Mercury announced it would be spending over $100 million to build a new business headquarters and practice facility for the Mercury located in downtown Phoenix’s Warehouse District.
“It was a huge priority when I bought the team,” Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia told Front Office Sports of the decision to undertake the project. “We want to be the best franchise [to work at] in all of sports, and investing like this is not only saying it, but actually puts our money, our focus, and our efforts behind it.”
The organization has yet to say when it plans to open the new complex.
At 123,000 square feet, the organization says that the new campus will be one of the largest developments in professional sports. The business headquarters will occupy 65,000 square feet of that space, while the Mercury’s new facility will take up 58,000 square feet.
The practice building will cater to the team’s needs, featuring 24/7 access to two dedicated basketball courts with 10 baskets, fitness and functional movement rooms with hot and cold pools, underwater treadmills, a player and family lounge, a film room, and a large locker room. The facility will also have a kitchen outfitted with a private chef.
The Mercury currently share practice facilities with the Suns, but this new development would make it the third WNBA team to open a dedicated facility for itself.
The Las Vegas Aces opened their state-of-the-art facility in May, and the Seattle Storm are building one worth $64 million. Meanwhile, Chicago Sky star Kahleah Copper told FOS in July that she is still waiting for her team to take action in that area.
For Ishbia and the rest of Phoenix’s leadership, building the new business headquarters is about distancing the organization from former owner Robert Sarver and former president and CEO Jason Rowley, who reportedly created a toxic working environment — ultimately opening the door for Ishbia to buy the teams for $4 billion in December.
“From day one, we’ve talked about reshaping and resetting our culture,” Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein told Front Office Sports. “You can talk about it all you want, but it’s in how we treat people, it’s in caring more, it’s in putting people first. And when you do things like this, it just amplifies everything.”
The organization’s new business headquarters will feature indoor and outdoor basketball courts, an indoor arcade, a pickleball court, a putting green, a workout facility, and a kitchen with beverages and snacks. It will move its operations out of Footprint Center, where it currently resides.
More must-reads: