Marquette signs 7-year agreement to play home games in Bucks’ new arena

Marquette University’s men’s basketball team will play home games at the new Milwaukee Bucks arena, the Bucks and Marquette announced Tuesday.

The announcement was not a surprise; it was already known that the new arena would be Marquette’s home court when it opens in the fall of 2018. On Tuesday, the two sides said that they have signed a seven-year agreement that formalizes the deal.

Marquette will be the Bucks’ main tenant for the arena that they will operate and maintain. The $524 million facility is being built with $250 million in public money just north of the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

“Marquette basketball is a staple of Milwaukee and we are proud to welcome the Golden Eagles to their spectacular new home,” Bucks President Peter Feigin said at a morning news conference held overlooking the seating bowl at the busy construction site.

“As Marquette University enters its second century of basketball, today marks another historic milestone for our community and passionate alumni,” said Marquette President Michael Lovell. “They’ll now experience elite-level basketball in one of the most innovative arenas in the world.”

The Bucks and Golden Eagles have played the last 29 seasons at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, and will play one more season at the facility before moving into the new arena for the 2018-’19 season. Marquette plays 18 or 19 games at the Bradley Center.

According to the current lease, Marquette pays the Bradley Center base rent of $29,000 per game and receives an $18,000 per game credit for luxury suite rentals. Marquette also pays the Bradley Center $2 for each ticket sold.

Lovell and Feigin declined to discuss the terms of the lease at the new arena. Feigin said Marquette will be allowed to sell its own sponsorships for games, which he said will be a “Marquette branded experience.”

Lovell said the lease with the Bucks is a “different arrangement” than the lease with the Bradley Center. Marquette stands to receive a new revenue stream from concessions and suite rentals, he said.

Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said the new arena has “generated a tremendous amount of excitement within our program.”

Having a state-of-the-art NBA arena as the home court is a powerful recruiting tool, he said.

“Both our current and future players, along with our fans, are going to be able to enjoy games in one of the finest arenas around.”

Lovell and Wojciechowski visited the site for the first time Tuesday and both men came up with the same first impression: “intimate.”

“There isn’t a bad seat in the house,” Lovell said.

“This is a big-time building. Big time,” Wojciechowski said.