Getty Diana Taurasi
Between WNBA All-Star festivities this weekend and a brand-new practice facility that opened on Thursday, July 18, it’s a busy time for the Phoenix Mercury.
It’s also one of the best times to play in Phoenix. The Mercury released photos of the 58,000-square-foot, $100 million practice facility Thursday and they are, in a word, breathtaking.
$100 million 58,000-square-foot state-of-the-art practice facility.
⭐️ 10 baskets
⭐️ Strength and Cardio Training Area
⭐️ Indoor and Outdoor Turf Training Area
⭐️ Team Meeting Room with Theater-Style Seating
⭐️ Hydrotherapy Room
⭐️ Hot and Cold Plunge Pools
⭐️ Underwater…
The franchise named the courts after future Hall of Famer and all-time Mercury great Diana Taurasi.
“She’s just a great person and great player,” Mat Ishbia, owner of the Mercury and Phoenix Suns, told ESPN. “Putting her name on the court is something everyone will see in the future to always remember Diana Taurasi played here.”
But this is more than a few basketball courts. The Mercury shared some of the facility’s details, which include a player lounge, hydrotherapy room, hot and cold plunge pools, a full kitchen with a private chef, and a team meeting room with theater seating.
The Phoenix Mercury just opened their new $100 million practice facility ahead of WNBA All-Star weekend.
• 58,000 sq. ft.
• Hot/cold pools, sauna
• New locker room, weight room
• Two courts named after Diana Taurasi
“Phoenix is the best basketball city in the world and continues to elevate the standard in women’s sports,” Ishbia said. “We are committed to investing in our players and providing the best facilities and resources they need to be successful, and we hope our state-of-the-art facility encourages more investment across the league.”
The Phoenix Mercury Wanted To Build A ‘Crown Jewel’
The Mercury didn’t simply load up the facility with amenities for the sake of flashiness. Franchise CEO Josh Bartelstein told The Athletic that everything was intentional.
“We looked at all sports, all over the world (to see) how do you make this the best of the best?” he said. “None of it happened by accident.”
That meant seeking player feedback on what they wanted and needed out of a practice center. The Athletic reports that “custom food availability” for three meals a day and the ability to access the playing courts at all hours were both important to Mercury players.
Bartelstein added in an interview with the Phoenix Business Journal that Ishbia places the same priority on the Mercury that he does on the Suns, giving the two teams the same level of resources.
The WNBA Facility Arms Race Is On
The Mercury aren’t the first team to open a new practice facility. The Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm both did in the past 18 months amid the league’s ongoing upward trajectory.
For his part, Ishbia wants the Mercury’s facility to be the example for other franchises to try and replicate as the league continues to grow.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be rivaled by anybody else,” he told The Athletic. “But I hope other teams do build practice facilities because we want to elevate the game. If we’re the leader of that and others follow to the level that we’re at, I’ll be so excited for the WNBA because that’s great for the whole league and for women’s sports in general.”
The facilities competition should only grow in the years to come. The Chicago Sky, for example, reiterated in March that building a dedicated practice facility is a ‘priority.”
“The idea that we put as much energy and resource into finding a facility of our own should be an indication that we understand what direction the league is going,” Sky CEO Adam Fox told the Chicago Sun-Times. “We want to be involved in the movement.”
It will be important. In a league with such low salaries (even after the players renegotiate the CBA after the season, it’s not likely their pay will reflect their worth), this is how teams can one-up each other.
Breanna Stewart, for example, has long said the New York Liberty’s investment in the team was a major reason she chose New York. The Liberty have the exact same facility access that the Brooklyn Nets have.
It’s not a stretch, then, to predict that the teams falling behind on facilities will soon find fall behind in the standings.