Kaiser Permanente Arena
(Photo Courtesy: Tim Cattera)
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On Friday, November 22 the Sioux Falls Skyforce will take to the court in a game against the Reno Bighorns at the Sanford Pentagon.  It marks a new era in Sioux Falls professional basketball lore as the Arena hosted the ‘Force for 24 seasons.

Having a health care organization as the title sponsor of the building is not necessarily unique within the NBA Development League.  It turns out two other venues are also sponsored by health care systems.

The Santa Cruz Warriors play in Kaiser Permanente Arena for their home games.  Kaiser Permanente is a huge health care consortium that originated in California, but has regional systems throughout the United States.  The company has a sponsorship agreement with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors who own and operate the D-League team.

Home for the Bakersfield Jam is the Dignity Health Event Center.  San Francisco-based Dignity Health has its origins in the Catholic Church and according to its website is the fifth largest hospital provider in the United States.

What distinguishes the Sanford Pentagon from the other two facilities is the overall mission behind the venue.  The Warriors and Jam play in buildings where the health systems simply paid for the naming rights.  The Skyforce will play in a venue that was build by the hospital as part of a complex that is designed to promote physical activity and wellness.

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