LOOK: San Antonio Spurs Unveil 'The Rock,' New Practice Facility
SAN ANTONIO - The Rock is ready.
After seven years of planning and constructing the San Antonio Spurs new training facility is officially open for business as training camp gets up and running next week.
A gaggle of local media was given a tour hosted by Spurs CEO RC Buford and senior director of basketball operations Phil Cullen. What they saw was a state of the art training facility that is a far cry from the outdated place the Spurs had used since 2002.
When this current group of Spurs begin camp next week they'll have access to two full length courts underneath a beautiful ceiling of massive timber beams shipped in from an Oregon forest. The swanky new place comes with a coffee bar, solar panels on the roof and a sophisticated system of rain water catching apparatuses throughout. There's a hydrotherapy room where the pools and underwater treadmills will absorb natural sunlight. It's sort of like Google Headquarters for hoopers.
Technically called "The Rock at La Cantera," it's a play on the long time Spurs mantra "Pounding the Rock" which originates from one of coach Gregg Popovich's favorite poems by Jacob Riis. The campus was also constructed with stone from the city's massive quarry on the northside of the city. "The Rock" was just fitting and made too much sense so the name was obvious.
As the months and years pass more and more opportunities for the public to hang out on campus will arrive in the form of a health center, shops, food, etc. A splash pad for kids, giant outdoor movie screen and even a dog park will give fans a chance to have fun right outside from where their heroes train.
This was a dream of Buford's and other Spurs officials dating back to 2014 when the club got an inside look at what the Miami Heat have in South Florida. The Spurs took those ideas, made them their own and now South Texas has a place fitting for a franchise who's already won five NBA titles and hopes for more with new French phenom Victor Wembanyama in the fold.