Phoenix Suns, Mercury Will Play At Veterans Memorial Coliseum

By Holliday Moore
Published: Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - 7:53am
Updated: Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - 7:55am

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez/KJZZ
The Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

The "Madhouse on McDowell" is getting a makeover.

That was the moniker for the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the State Fairgrounds when it was the home of the Phoenix Suns.

Twenty-eight years after the team moved to a new venue downtown, they are returning to the Madhouse, at least temporarily, while Talking Stick Arena undergoes its own renovations.

"We know that there are things here that we need to do to get it ready for them," said Jen Yee with the State Fairgrounds, which oversees the coliseum.

With nearly three decades passed since the Suns played at 18th Avenue and McDowell Road, she admitted the venue is in need of some TLC.

"There are things like the locker rooms are being renovated with the help of Talking Stick Arena. There's carpeting, there's tiling. Most of it is cosmetic," Yee said.

The Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury will begin practices once the leagues give the green light for professional basketball to resume.

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