NHL Seattle Announces Climate Pledge Arena After Naming Rights Deal with Amazon

What was once KeyArena will now be Climate Pledge Arena. 

NHL Seattle announced Thursday it struck a deal with Amazon regarding the naming rights for the renovated venue.

"We've secured naming rights to the historic arena previously known as KeyArena," Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos said in a press release. "Instead of naming it after Amazon, we're calling it Climate Pledge Arena as a regular reminder of the importance of fighting climate change. We look forward to working together with Oak View Group, a new Climate Pledge signatory, and NHL Seattle to inspire global climate action."

Once home to the Seattle Supersonics, Climate Pledge Arena has hosted the Seattle Storm since they entered the WNBA in 2000. The Storm have played at both Alaska Airlines Arena on the University of Washington campus and Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington, while their usual venue is under construction.

The Seattle City Council approved plans to renovate what is now Climate Pledge Arena in September 2018, effectively ending a lengthy saga as to whether the city would update the existing arena or build a new one.

The goal was to land an NHL franchise, which became a reality in December 2018. The team, which has yet to announce a nickname, is planning to enter the league ahead of the 2021-22 season.

The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker reported Climate Pledge Arena's renovations were expected to be complete by June 2021 but that delays could push the date back to August or September 2021.