‘Valley Suns’ officially named as Phoenix Suns G League affiliate

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona residents have a new sports team to cheer on! On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns announced that the “Valley Suns” will be the official name of the team’s G League affiliate.

Officials say the team name was inspired by the “Valley of the Sun” nickname. The Valley Suns will play their home games at Mullett Arena on the Arizona State University Tempe campus, which is also home to the Sun Devil ice hockey team.

“The Valley Suns is the community’s team and will provide fans an energetic and family-friendly atmosphere while developing aspiring talent on and off the court,” said Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Valley Suns Chief Executive Officer Josh Bartelstein. “We’re excited to launch the new G League team with a name and identity chosen by our fans and inspired by the unique desert landscape that we call home.”

The team’s logo features a flickering “V” and “S” flames coming together to create a Suns-shaped icon. Officials say the triangles in the logo represent the mountains and peaks surrounding the Valley of the Sun. The team will don orange and purple colors, just like their professional counterparts, the Phoenix Suns and Mercury.

In February, the Suns announced they had acquired the right to own and operate a G League team. Phoenix previously had a G League team, the Northern Arizona Suns, before selling it to the Detroit Pistons in 2021, who renamed the team to Motor City Cruise. All 30 NBA teams now own or operate an NBA G League affiliate.

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