The Delta Center is coming back to Utah. The global airline will assume the naming rights for Utah’s premier sports and entertainment center - which is home to the Utah Jazz and more than 320 evenings of events each year - effective July 2023 as part of a multi-year partnership between the two organizations.
This agreement is a homecoming for Delta, harkening back to the arena’s original opening in 1991 when the airline held the naming rights as part of its first sponsorship with the NBA franchise. Within the long-term agreement, Delta will serve as the Official Airline of the Utah Jazz, adding to its current role as an Official Community Partner of the team. Delta will also hold numerous sponsorship and branding rights with the team, including media, hospitality and employee engagement extensions.
Delta and the Utah Jazz will continue partnering to support community programs across the state where nearly 5,000 Delta people currently live, work and serve.
“Today we celebrate a new chapter in the longstanding history between Delta, the Utah Jazz and the Salt Lake City community,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “The homecoming of the Delta Center represents a continued investment and dedication to Salt Lake City, and together we will provide a leading sports and entertainment experience to the city and Jazz fans worldwide.”
“I have so many amazing memories of the Delta Center as a kid, and I know that countless people throughout Utah and beyond had similar experiences creating core memories there, whether watching the Olympics & Paralympic Winter Games, the NBA Finals, concerts, or other incredible events,” said Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz and chairman of Smith Entertainment Group. “We are excited to partner with Ed Bastian and the entire Delta team to not only bring back the arena’s original name, but also leverage the amazing work Delta is doing to provide incredible experiences for the people of our state and help show the world how amazing Utah is.”
WATCH VIDEO: Welcome Home to the Delta Center
To celebrate their partnership and the impending return of the Delta Center, Delta CEO Ed Bastian and Utah Jazz Owners Ryan and Ashley Smith will host a joint media event at 1 p.m. MT on Jan. 14 ahead of a Utah Jazz home game against the Philadelphia 76ers that evening at 7 p.m. MT.
History of Delta and the Utah Jazz
The long-standing relationship between Delta and the Utah Jazz dates to the early 1990s, when the arena first opened. During that initial period, the Delta Center hosted iconic events such as the 1993 NBA All-Star weekend, two NBA Finals, and the 1999 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, as well as figure skating and short track speed skating events at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The Delta Center also featured some of the biggest names in the entertainment world with Garth Brooks, U2 and The Rolling Stones among its most prominent concert draws.
The venue’s naming transition will kick off on July 1, 2023, and occur throughout the summer as the building continues to host Salt Lake City Summer League and concerts like Arctic Monkeys, Paramore and others.
About the Arena, to be renamed the “Delta Center” in July 2023
Located on the west side of downtown Salt Lake City at 301 S. Temple, the Jazz’s 18,206-seat facility hosts more than 320 evenings of sports and entertainment events each year – ranging from NBA games to concerts by world-renowned musicians and other acts, welcoming approximately 1.8 million guests annually.
The state-of-the-art arena, which completed a $125 million renovation in 2017, features six upgraded seating levels and notable features such as energy-generating solar panels on the roof, revamped locker rooms on the ground floor and a 12,000-foot atrium with a plaza that greets guests with a supersized Jazz note as the centerpiece. In October 2022, the venue introduced upgraded LED technology on the videoboards, its first-ever premium seating area in the upper bowl, and an expanded selection of food options, including many premier local-favorite dining destinations.
Starting in July 2023 as the Jazz kickoff the celebration of their 50th season in the NBA, the rebrand to the Delta Center will begin to be visible throughout the arena, with the Delta Center logo shown prominently on the exterior of the building, the lower panels of the center hung scoreboard, all digital building signage, and as part of the Delta Sky360º Club. The Delta Center logo will also be prominently placed on the basketball court alongside recognition of Larry H. Miller, who spearheaded construction of the building more than 30 years ago and whose family owned the franchise for 35 years.