Once the NBA lockout got started, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s players were no longer allowed to work out in their practice facility.
Now, they may never practice in the place again.
When players are allowed to report to team facilities today, the former Seattle SuperSonics will enter a new $14 million practice site on the northeast side of town that was funded by the same penny sales tax increase that produced renovations to the team’s downtown arena.
“We’re in our new building. We are excited by that,” general manager Sam Presti said Wednesday. “It’s a fantastic facility. We’re very excited for our players to have their first experience with it.
“The thing about it that we’re so excited about is that it’s really driven to player development and the development of our guys. We think that’s going to be critical for our organization, and it’s been a focus for us for a period of years now. We feel like the building has an opportunity to continue to help improve our players and it’s a great place to work. We’re very grateful that we have that in place now.”
The construction of the facility had been pushed back several times and it was initially supposed to be completed prior to last season.
The lockout allowed some finishing touches to be completed before the players are allowed — like the rest of the league — to report today.
The old practice facility will be converted into a community events center and also will host the team’s youth basketball camps and practices for the Thunder Girls dance team.
Oklahoma City is in the unique position of having 13 players already under contract from last season’s squad that reached the Western Conference finals, so there’s no need to make a major move during a condensed free-agent signing period.
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