Phoenix Suns arena getting new name: Footprint Center

Back in May, Phoenix Suns managing partner Robert Sarver said their renovated home arena will have a new name in the "near future."

That future is now.

The Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Real Mallorca announced Friday a new long-term arena-naming partnership with Footprint.

The 17,000-plus-seat downtown venue will now be called Footprint Center.

“It’s going to be one of the most unique partnerships in sports,” Sarver said.

The Suns began playing in the facility at the start of the 1992-93 season, after playing at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum since the franchise first launched in 1968.

Footprint, a material science company based in Gilbert driven to “create a healthier planet by reducing…