Phoenix Mercury Unveils New Logos Ahead of 30th Season

The Phoenix Mercury, a prominent team in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), has unveiled a new logo design as it prepares to celebrate its 30th season. The franchise, known for its three championship titles in 2007, 2009, and 2014, revealed the updated branding on October 23, 2023. This move is part of a broader strategy led by team owner Mat Ishbia, aimed at enhancing the franchise’s market presence and financial prospects.

Team president Vince Kozar highlighted the significance of updating the organization’s identity during this milestone year. The Mercury, which was established in 1997 as one of the league’s original teams, has a rich history, primarily built around the talent of Diana Taurasi, an 11-time All-Star. Kozar stated that the rebranding is intended to reflect a modernization of the franchise while maintaining a connection to its legacy.

The new logo retains the Mercury’s signature purple and orange color scheme but introduces a variety of designs to enhance advertising opportunities and merchandise sales. “Being sort of a legacy brand was instructive to the process of us developing a rebrand,” Kozar explained. “We didn’t want a huge departure. We wanted fans to be able to see the old mark in the new marks. We wanted a modernization and evolution — not a wholesale rebrand.”

The primary logo features the letter “M” at an angle of 19.97 degrees, a nod to the year the team was founded. Additionally, a logo incorporating the popular nickname “Merc” has been designed, which has been embraced by both players and fans over the years.

Kozar credited Ishbia for his readiness to invest significantly in the rebranding effort. “Stuff like this — I’m not quite sure fans quite understand the amount of investment it takes to do something like this,” he noted. “Not only the brand work and the design work but there’s a lot of stuff that has to be swapped out. The old logo exists in a lot of places. There’s a hard cost to doing things like that, but with Mat, that never seems to be a consideration.”

This rebranding follows the recent unveiling of a state-of-the-art practice facility that cost $100 million. The facility, spanning 58,000 square feet, is located just a block from the team’s arena and includes two full-size courts, a weight room, and a team meeting room equipped with theater-style seating. Unlike their previous practice space, which they shared with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, this facility is dedicated solely to the Mercury.

Ishbia, who became the owner of both the Mercury and the Suns in early 2023, expressed his hope that the investment in women’s basketball will inspire other teams in the league to follow suit. “I don’t want this to be a competitive advantage,” Ishbia stated during the WNBA Finals in October. “I want everyone else to do the same thing.”

As the Phoenix Mercury embarks on its 30th season, the combination of a fresh visual identity and enhanced facilities reflects a commitment to both the team’s legacy and its future in the league. The rebrand aims not only to modernize the franchise’s image but also to solidify its standing in the competitive landscape of women’s professional sports.