The birthplace of professional basketball in Arizona will see a return of the sport when the Phoenix Mercury play the 2020 WNBA season at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum while Talking Stick Resort Arena is renovated.
“The Madhouse” hosted the Phoenix Suns (NBA) between 1968 and 1992. The Mercury will play all preseason, regular season and playoff home games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum during the $230-million Talking Stick Resort Arena renovation.
“Returning to ‘The Madhouse’ was absolutely the right move for our team and we are grateful to our ownership, management and the management of the Coliseum for making it possible,” said Mercury Chief Operating Officer Vince Kozar. “Staying centrally-located for our fans, and finding a home for games and practices that puts the least amount of stress on our players and staff was crucial. We will make the Coliseum feel like home and the X-Factor will make it feel like ‘The Madhouse’.”
The last pro basketball game at Veterans Memorial Coliseum came on May 11, 1992, when the Suns and Portland Trail Blazers battled in the NBA Playoffs.
The Mercury announced several updates to “The Madhouse on McDowell” as part of the temporary tenancy: a high-definition videoboard, a scoreboard, upgraded lighting and sound systems, improved seats, plus the Verizon Courtyard event-level fan area which has been a staple at Mercury games since 2014. The Mercury will bring its own court and be able to hang its championship banners and retired-player banners in the Coliseum rafters.
Rendering of Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum courtesy Phoenix Mercury. Photo of Veterans Memorial Coliseum courtesy Arizona State Fair.
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