The Spurs brand-new practice facility will be called The Rock at La Cantera

Just in time for No. 1 overall selection pick Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season, the San Antonio Spurs’ new $500 million practice facility is almost finished, and it might end up being among the most sophisticated in the entire globe.

RC Buford, the CEO of the Spurs, spent over ten years planning the facility and visited 200 gyms overseas to learn what works for other teams.

Ideas didn’t simply come from the world of basketball; they also came from the worlds of skiing, soccer, eSports, cycling, and even Formula One. He became more captivated with the notion and engrossed in how to make it happen hour after hour, day after day.’ The Rock at La Cantera will be the name of the building, and it won’t just be a practice gym with a big locker room and some toys; the team wants it to be a “global center for excellence in human and athletic performance,” in addition to making a significant investment in San Antonio.

The CEO of the Spurs and a veteran of all five of the team’s championship seasons, Buford, stated, “We’re not trying to build this to be the best in the NBA.” We’re going to construct something to suit our requirements and to provide the ideal atmosphere for fostering the Spurs’ ethos. Being better or worse than anyone else is not the point.

There is no detail that has been overlooked; the practice court area in the new building is almost identical in size and layout to the one the team currently uses. The height, just over 26 feet, is also the same to try to mimic the same acoustics for when coach Gregg Popovich barks out instructions during workouts. There is even a purpose for the placement of the new pizza oven, which is close to the team dining area. The new complex, which is still very much under construction but will be ready for training camp in a little over two months, has not yet been visited by Popovich.

Take care of the people and safeguard the culture were the two instructions he provided Buford for the new facility. Additionally, Spurs players will be reminded of the culture the moment they park their vehicles in the underground garage.

According to Phil Cullen, the senior director of basketball operations and organizational development for the Spurs and the facility’s project manager, “We really tried to have this idea and this concept of a sense of arrival.”

The players will then start to view the court’s sightlines as they climb the steps, followed by the championship banners. The Pound the Rock statement serves as the cornerstone upon which this place is constructed.

The saying of Danish social reformer Jacob Riis, “Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crαck showing in it,” has become a motto for the Spurs. But after the 101st strike, it will break in half, and I know that all the previous blows rather than the last one caused it.

It also reveals a fortuitous coincidence: it took the crew preparing the construction site for roughly four months to grιnd through enough rock for portions of the building’s foundation. They did this by moving tons of stone an inch or two at a time.

A water recapturing system, solar panels on the roof, and windows that are slanted properly to block glare and keep the building cooler are just a few of the measures used to safeguard the environment and reduce resource consumption. According to the Spurs, it will be the largest mass timber construction in Texas. Speaking of the Spurs’ ownership, Buford said, “The Holt family made the direct mandate that we had to develop this to have an impact for our community.” It could not merely be the world’s top practice facility. It needed to be created so that the community could use it.

The Spurs’ present practice facility, which is 37,000 square feet and has an outdoor Olympic-sized pool in the back so that Tim Duncan can swim laps there, was outgrown a long time ago. The new location has at least 90,000 square feet of space for basketball operations, including larger meeting rooms, more locker rooms, a larger team video area, and more. If Popovich will have a wine closet like he does in the present facilities is yet unknown.)

The first proposal intended for enlarging the existing structure. That strategy was short-lived.

As he gave visitors a tour of the construction site while donning a hard hat with his name, Buford remarked, “It became clear that the cost of making what we need to happen here was really making this cost effective to build somewhere else.”

The area above the practice court, which will be called the Spurs Club, will include a few sizable viewing windows. Behind the windows will be a bar in a lengthy reception area. When they point to what are now only piles of dirt and pebbles outside the windows, away from the court, Buford and Cullen become just as animated.

A park, a splash pad, a café, and a large outdoor screen where people can watch movies or play games will eventually be built for the community’s enjoyment. The complex is situated on a trail that circles the majority of the city—about 130 miles in total—and features a sizable dog park.

You consider chances to participate in family nights, Cullen said. “The concept and the idea was that families could come here and have an experience without spending a dime.” That is what this is about if you just want to come and watch your kids have fun. Once more, every little thing seemed to have been carefully considered. Wembanyama is 7 feet, 3 1/2 inches tall, therefore even the tallest athletes may fully submerge themselves in the water in the hydrotherapy pools because they are 8 feet deep.

There is space on site for everything from fundamental requirements for athletic training to medical images. There are spaces created with consideration for mental health. The Spurs’ equipment managers will be the envy of the league thanks to the ample storage it offers.

Just in time for Wembanyama’s rookie season and the Spurs’ return to the NBA spotlight following a four-year renovation, they are constructing a palace. The fαct that all the stars appear to be aligning at once is also fortunate.

Buford stated, “It’s very fortunate, and it’s also extremely emotional, and it comes with a great deal of responsibility.”

Some Spurs workers claim that the initiative is a continuation of Buford’s legacy. He instantly dismisses that conversation.

“Not for me,” you said. Buford declared, “This is for our team.” “This is for our neighborhood.”