Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s mortgage company agrees to partnership with NBA, WNBA

Phoenix Suns team owner Mat Ishbia has made collaborative history with the NBA and WNBA.

His company, United Wholesale Mortgage, has agreed to a multiyear partnership that makes UWM’s “consumer-facing brand,” Mortgage Matchup, the official mortgage partner of the two leagues, the NBA announced Thursday morning.

This is a first for the two leagues.

“Our partnership with the NBA and WNBA marks a significant milestone for the Mortgage Matchup brand and our clients,” said UWM’s chief marketing officer, Sarah DeCiantis, in a news release Thursday.

“We are incredibly excited about this collaboration and the numerous possibilities it presents. The NBA and WNBA are sports powerhouses as well as a symbol of passion, excellence and elite experience — characteristics UWM and our partners bring to the mortgage process for borrowers. By joining forces, we aim to tap into the immense and diverse fan base of these two leagues to create authentic connections with basketball enthusiasts across the country. Our end goal is to empower borrowers and draw attention to the value and importance of having a mortgage broker as your advocate during the home buying and refinancing process.”

Mortgage Matchup offers consumers and real estate agents “educational material around the homebuying and refinancing process” as well as a searchable database of local independent mortgage brokers.

This collaboration with the NBA and WNBA will focus on marketing and promotional activities to “expand the reach of its platform, raising awareness around the benefits of partnering with a mortgage broker and making it easier for fans to access the resources they need when purchasing or refinancing a home.”

Forbes has Ishbia worth $10.6 billion. He bought the Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for a record $4 billion in February 2023. The Suns are projected to have the highest payroll next season at essentially $206 million.

This latest partnership with the NBA and WNBA includes Mortgage Matchup receiving media exposure across a variety of league platforms that includes “on-court virtual signage during NBA and WNBA national broadcasts as well as “the leagues’ official social and digital platforms.”

UWM has served as a partner of the Detroit Pistons since the 2021-22 season as its logo is on the team jerseys. The company is based out of Pontiac, Michigan as Ishbia is from the Detroit suburbs.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mortgage Matchup as the official mortgage partner of the NBA and WNBA,” said Julie Morris, the NBA’s senior vice president of commercial development and media in a news release Thursday. “We look forward to working with UWM to reach fans throughout the biggest moments of the season.”

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Phoenix is hosting this year’s WNBA All-Star game and the 2027 NBA All-Star game.

“The WNBA is excited to partner with United Wholesale Mortgage, a company that shares our vision for growing women’s sports and supporting women’s basketball on all stages,” said Colie Edison, chief growth officer of the WNBA, in a news release Thursday. “Our partnership is an opportunity to amplify the reach of women’s sports alongside the Mortgage Matchup brand.”

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns owner’s company agrees to branding partnership with NBA, WNBA