The most iconic building on campus, and arguable the most iconic venue for college basketball on the West Coast, is getting a re-brand. Arizona Athletics has announced it has sold the naming rights to the McKale Center, which will now be know as the McKale Center at ALKEME Arena.
Per a release from Arizona Athletics, the 15-year, $27.7 million deal is the largest publicly known arena naming rights partnership in the Big 12 and one of the most significant in department history.
ALKEME is an insurance brokerage firm founded in 2020 by University of Arizona alumni, including CEO Curtis Barton. The partnership will “power innovation, engagement, and small business impact, leveraging Arizona Athletics’ reach to connect students, employees, alumni, and the broader Arizona community.” With several Eller College of Management alumni on the ALKEME executive team, the partnership also includes specific initiatives targeted towards the business college, including “Shark Tank”-style experiences and mentorship opportunities for students.
“In the modern era of college athletics, competition at the highest level requires sustained investment and strong partnerships,” said Arizona Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois in a news release. “This naming rights agreement with ALKEME provides critical resources that allow Arizona Athletics to continue our momentum and position our programs for long-term competitive success. ALKEME leadership’s commitment to education and giving back as Arizona graduates reflects a shared belief in excellence—on the field, in the classroom, and beyond.”
During a press conference on Friday morning, ALKEME CEO Curtis Barton called the agreement a business decision, but one that is personal and makes sense to him and the organization:
“Coming back home made sense for us and it made sense for our company. You have to make a business case for things. But you know, this isn’t a vanity play. This is a tradition that’s beyond any other. We were talking about the streaks that we’ve had here at McKale, back in the day. We’re talking about the Final Four – and the championship of course. And for us, the brand is such a proud brand, it’s such a big brand, that it’s really easy for us to make that choice to build with the University of Arizona.”
Barton also acknowledged the potential for pushback from fans that didn’t want to see naming rights for the McKale Center, while also addressing the importance of keeping the name of the historic venue intact:
“I think there’s always going to be that. The world’s shifting, and pushback’s natural, and you have two choices. You can either lean in, or you can lean back. I think you have to be respectful of the past, but be thoughtful of the future,” said Barton inside the newly minted McKale Center at ALKEME Arena.
“When we talk about how we build our company, we build our company to meet the future. I think Desiree is building the athletics department and team to meet the future of athletics. This is part of it. We understand that it’s complex for people to wrap their head around that sometimes, and we talked openly about that because we were in discussions about the football stadium at one point too. And so for us, we we want to acknowledge that McKale will always be here. I know who Pop McKale is, I know his history. I know exactly what he means, you know, to the University. And we don’t want to take away from that. We want to actually just be alongside that.”
The agreement comes on the heels of another naming right deal secured by Reed-Francois during the 2025-26 season. In November, Arizona Athletics and the Pasqua Yaqui Tribe signed a 20-year, $60 million deal to rename Arizona Stadium to Casino Del Sol Stadium.
The first events at the newly named McKale Center at ALKEME Arena are Saturday, when Arizona Women’s Basketball host in-state rival ASU, and No. 1 Men’s Basketball takes on No. 16 Texas Tech. ESPN’s College GameDay is also hosting its pregame show from the court on Saturday morning.
[…] a naming rights deal with insurance broker ALKEME, officially renaming the McKale Center to the McKale Center at ALKEME Arena. Now the attention shifts to the full slate of action on the court. Ahead of Saturday’s […]