NBA basketball team the Oklahoma City Thunder has today (Tuesday) agreed a deal for cloud-based financial software company Paycom to take on naming rights to its home arena.
As part of the 15-year deal, the Thunder’s home will be rebranded as Paycom Center. Paycom replaces Chesapeake Energy, which had sponsored the arena since 2011 before ending its deal early back in April.
New exterior signage will be added to the arena in time for the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. Financial terms of Paycom’s agreement were not disclosed.
Paycom will be granted extensive brand exposure at the arena, including on the building’s roof, game floor, scoreboard and more. Paycom will also retain its branded on-court signage in front of the player benches and will continue its community engagement work with the team.
Thunder chairman Clayton I. Bennett said: “We are honoured and excited to expand our partnership with Paycom to include a centrepiece, 15-year naming rights commitment for our arena.
“We are especially proud to enhance our alignment with this innovative and visionary Oklahoma company that is not only a top job creator, but a nationally recognised technology leader. The Thunder shares Paycom’s always-onward vision, grit and relentless pursuit of excellence, combined with a passion for impacting our community. Together, we are committed to working hand in hand to create the best for our fans and city.
“On behalf of our ownership group and the entire Thunder organisation, we look forward to presenting our new arena partner, Paycom, to the NBA global audience. We are especially proud to be able to welcome back our fans to again enjoy the Thunder game experience inside the fresh and exciting Paycom Center.”
Paycom Center opened in 2002 and is managed by ASM Global. It is owned by the City of Oklahoma City and hosts a range of concerts and other events.
Chris Semrau, general manager of Paycom Center, said: “At ASM Global, we are thrilled with the potential this partnership between the Thunder and Paycom offers for future success of the arena.
“We work diligently to offer first-class amenities and services for fans, entertainers, guests and crew as we schedule events and shows throughout the year, all within a very competitive environment. Adding a technology and community leader like Paycom to the name of the arena only enhances our ability to help position the facility as modern, vital and built for the future.”
The Thunder becomes the third NBA team to sign a new arena sponsor in recent months after the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat agreed deals with material science company Footprint and cryptocurrency exchange FTX, respectively.
