Timberwolves & Lynx announce new practice facility and partnership
Timberwolves & Lynx Announce New Practice Facility, Partnership with Mayo Clinic
Minneapolis/St. Paul The Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx announced today a plan to open a new practice facility across the street from Target Center in Block E. In addition to the practice facility, the team is partnering with Mayo Clinic, who will operate a sports medicine clinic adjacent to the practice space. The teams and the clinic will occupy the third level, which was formerly a movie theater.
This is an exciting day for the Timberwolves and Lynx players, coaches and fans, said Rob Moor, CEO of the Timberwolves and Lynx. The new practice facility will be state of the art and will help our franchises both on and off the court. The partnership with Mayo Clinic will allow the Timberwolves and Lynx players to have access to cutting edge medical technology within the most respected and recognized medical system in the world. This facility is like nothing else in the country. It is not only unique to the NBA and WNBA, but to all of professional sports.
The Timberwolves and Lynx currently practice in the Target Center below the ground level, with two floors between the practice space and the locker rooms. The practice space is part of the Lifetime Fitness center in Target Center.
The present set up is clearly not ideal. It is important the team has its own space to practice, said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders. When you visit other practice facilities around the NBA, it becomes clear the current situation for our players lags behind other teams. The new practice facility and Mayo Clinic partnership will be great assets in attracting the top talent in the NBA.
This is a great day for our franchises, said Timberwolves All-Star forward Kevin Love. Todays announcement of a new practice facility and training center is especially exciting for us players, as we now will have access to cutting edge medical technology as we partner with the most recognized and respected medical people in the world at Mayo. This facility is destined to become the gold standards for practice facilities in both the NBA and WNBA. These are exciting times for our franchises and Im looking forward to our future in Mayo Square Clinic.
The new training center will have two basketball courts, with the Timberwolves and Lynx each having a primary court. It will include additional offices for coaches, scouts and staff, as well as expanded training and workout areas. The space will be accessible to the community with the practice courts being available for youth basketball programs and games.
This new facility will be much better at accommodating the demanding schedules and needs of our professional athletes. To have our teams perform at the highest level, we must provide the elite training opportunities and spaces that our athletes need and deserve, said Lynx General Manager Roger Griffith.
The Timberwolves and Lynx practice facility is part of a redevelopment of Block E. The building itself will also receive an overhaul of the exterior, as well as a redesign of the interior on the first and second floors.
Contact information:
Kylie Crull, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, (612) 673-8409, crull@timberwolves.com
