On April 18, the Seattle Storm unveiled their new, “Center for Basketball Performance” practice facility. The building is set to open for the start on training camp on April 28 and cost $64 million.
It is the first dedicated WNBA practice facility designed and built from the ground up. It encompasses 50,000 square feet and is the new dedicated practice facility and team headquarters. There are two indoor professional basketball courts, two outdoor 3×3 courts and an exclusive suite with a locker room, nutrition center and player lounge. It has state-of-the-art strength and conditioning equipment, health and wellness suites and an aquatics center.
It is also home to the Storm’s business headquarters on the second floor.
Previously, the franchise spent 15 years practicing in a rented gym in Royal Brougham Pavilion on the campus of NCAA Division II Seattle Pacific University.
“This year is set to be a historic high point for women’s professional sports, and the Seattle Storm is at the forefront of this transformative era,” said Lisa Brummel, co-owner of the Seattle Storm. “Our new Center for Basketball Performance is a physical representation of our commitment to excellence and community.”
The Storm are also using the facility to remain an active part of the community. The facility will hold the “Jr. Storm”, a youth basketball program including free community camps and clinics. The Storm continue to support their commitment to inspire and provide access to the next generation of basketball.
In addition, Starbucks and Providence Swedish are the founding partners of the facility.
The Storm’s dedication to their athletes and powering women’s sports through this new facility is clear. They are treating their athletes as professionals should be treated.
Seattle is just the second WNBA team to have their own practice facility. The Las Vegas Aces were the first and the Phoenix Mercury plan to be the third later this year. They are the only team to have a facility built specifically for them and not repurposed.
“This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance,” said Ginny Gilder, co-owner of the Seattle Storm. “It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports.”
Having their own facility and space helps everyone in the franchise feel a stronger sense of belonging. Some teams do not even have a lockers players can leave their things in.
This is coming at a time when the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks all still share space in public facilities. The players on these teams are having wholly different experiences in the WNBA than players on the Aces and now Storm.
WNBA scoring champion, Jewell Loyd said this of the new space,
“It’s about time,” she said. “I think this is one of many that will happen in the next few years. We’re just lucky to be one of the first to have it built up from the ground. We know how long it took. We saw the process, everything that came into it, the people that were a part of it as well. For us, it’s what we deserve.”
The Storm have a new edge on the competition with this facility. The added comfort and security this practice facility will provide its players is far greater than the players in franchises sharing gym space. In addition, the new features that focus on player performance and health will give their players an added edge.
“It was a factor,” Loyd said Thursday of the facility’s role in her signing a two-year contract extension in 2023. “You’ve got to look at where you’re trying to go and what you’re trying to do. I told [coach Noelle Quinn] from Day One, ‘I want to have an edge. What’s our edge? What gives us the thing that pushes us over?’ This is an edge. Other teams don’t have this. They don’t have the [resources] that we do, and we’re going to use that.”
Seattle has a new bargaining chip in this facility and there are a lot of franchises that need to catch up.
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