SAN ANTONIO – A new era for the San Antonio Spurs will begin soon at their new headquarters on the far Northwest Side.
The $500 million Rock at La Cantera campus is set to open off Loop 1604 and Interstate 10 near Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
KSAT visited the site on Wednesday ahead of its opening this fall as construction enters its final stretch.
“We’re excited for the community, first and foremost, to be able to interact and see what we’ve been working on for the last few years,” said Phil Cullen, Spurs Director of Basketball Operations and Organizational Development.
The campus is more than 500,000 square feet in size and will feature the new Spurs practice facility named the Victory Capital Performance Center.
The organization recently released renderings of the Spurs Club for fans and community members to have exclusive access to the Victory Capital Performance Center and other perks.
“It’s kind of the first in the NBA as far as a concept where we’re developing a membership-only affinity club,” Cullen said. “Essentially, our club memberships will have access to sight lines onto our court and just a different experience that we’re able to provide.”
The campus will also feature a human performance research center along with medical and commercial space.
But the site isn’t just for the Spurs players and coaches. It’s for the community as well.
“We couldn’t just build a practice facility for our team. We needed to make sure that we’re amplifying opportunities to impact and engage with our community,” Cullen said.
Frost Plaza will feature ample public space for live entertainment, music and events.
Cullen noted dozens of acres of park space and a splash pad for families to cool off during the hot summer months.
“We have our restaurant. We have an outdoor LED screen that we’re really excited to bring to the community as far as a secondary site to watch our games,” Cullen said. “A lot of open public spaces for our community to engage. Think arts in the park, farmer’s markets, movie nights.”
True to the franchise’s “Pounding the Rock” mantra, the Spurs left no stone unturned during their planning.
The performance center has state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pools, and the courts have nearly the same dimensions and acoustics as the current one.
“The interior space we have is very similar to what we have currently at 1 Spurs Lane,” Cullen said. “It was important for us to keep the intimacy of that basketball court we have,” said Cullen. This is a place of work. This is where the Spurs are going to practice. It’s where we’re going to work and sweat together, that resiliency of building a team together and chemistry. Coach Pop uses the quote ‘Pound the Rock.’ We had to make sure that we were protecting that coaching environment and that performance environment for our players.”
Cullen said this vision is nearly six years in the making that is about to become reality. Spurs coaches, players and the training staff are scheduled to move into the performance center in about six weeks before training camp starts.
Frost Plaza will be open to the public by the start of this season in October.
The opening of the Rock at La Cantera also coincides with the arrival of Victor Wembanyama to San Antonio and the hope for more championships in the future.
“This is a world-class facility,” Cullen said. “It’s literally ‘one of one,’ but we’re really excited. The timing really works for a young core. We’ve got an energized coaching staff. We’re really excited about this upcoming season.”