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By Tia Reid
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Mat Ishbia continues to show his commitment to women’s basketball and the Valley’s WNBA team.
On Thursday, Player 15 Group owned by Ishbia, who also owns the Phoenix Mercury and Suns, unveiled the new team headquarters in downtown Phoenix, just a few blocks from Footprint Center in the Warehouse District. The offices serve as the first phase in a $100 million-plus project that also includes a new state-of-the-art practice facility for the Mercury.
“This feels like a building that delivers championships,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said. “We feel like Phoenix is (a) basketball city, and this is a building to befit that high standard. This is incredible. … We are so excited to have the Suns and Mercury growing in the city of Phoenix. You’ve chosen a very special area. The Warehouse District was really the economic backbone of the city when we were an agricultural city, and now it is the future of our city as well.”
On Monday, the Mercury released the first renderings of the practice facility, which is expected to be completed later this summer.
The headquarters offices occupy 76,000 square feet and the practice facility will fill the rest of the estimated total of 123,000 square feet. Ishbia has hopes of repurposing the 50,000-square-foot area in Footprint Center that has been used as offices. On Thursday, he said he plans to use the space to elevate the fan experience by adding restaurants, a kids’ zone or a bar.
The headquarters complex includes an indoor and outdoor basketball court, an outdoor pickleball court, arcade games, a full-service cafeteria, lounge areas and a golf simulator room. The practice facility is slated to include amenities such as a state-of-the-art locker room, film room, player and family lounge, hot and cold pools with underwater treadmills and two full practice courts with a total of 10 baskets.
Plans for the new facilities were announced in October 2023, with Ishbia at the time saying, “We are working every day to make the Phoenix Suns and Mercury a world-class organization on and off the floor. You create great culture by investing in people. A basketball franchise is so much more than a normal business, it is a catalyst for change. I am so excited to be making an investment that builds on our vision for the Phoenix Suns and Mercury to continue investing in our players, team members, fans and community.”
Throughout their time in the Valley, the Mercury has received immense support from the Phoenix community. Despite recent struggles, the Mercury has still maintained some of the most consistent and highest attendance numbers in the league thanks to its X-Factor fan base.
The organization hopes the new practice facility will benefit the Mercury during the season and also help attract free agents.
“For players, you have the men’s and the women’s, there’s definitely an incentive because they realize that, ‘Hey, Phoenix is different,’” Ishbia said. “‘They’re trying to invest in the game. They’re going to do some great things, and they’re all in to make their players have the best experience, but also their team members.’”
Ishbia’s investment in the Mercury has already paid dividends this offseason. Natasha Cloud cited the team’s support system as a feature that drew them to the Southwest. The Mercury’s prior pattern of investment also caught the attention of Kahleah Copperwho requested to be traded to Phoenix
Now, with a new outlook thanks to several key offseason additions, the Mercury will have the facilities to position itself for success as it looks to return to its championship ways.
“The winning culture, it starts off the court. It carries on the court,” Ishbia said. “Everything’s tied together, and so we’re really excited about this. Hopefully, you get a feel of the overall excitement and energy we have for the investment, not only in the community but in our team members and making this an amazing place to work.”
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