Philadelphia 76ers Will Finally Have Their Own Training Center, But in Camden

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

The Philadelphia 76ers will break ground on a new practice facility and headquarters building along the Camden waterfront in New Jersey.

The team, which is one of the oldest franchises in the National Basketball Association and yet the only team that doesn’t have a dedicated practice facility, has been training in a rented space at the College of Osteopathic Medicine in West Philadelphia since 1999. As reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers’ initially wanted to build a 55,000-square-foot facility with two basketball courts, locker rooms, lounge space and broadcast center at the Philadelphia Navy Yard where the team has administrative offices, but that plan fell through.

After having investigated other relocation options, the Sixers eventually decided on a site located near the Adventure Aquarium and the Susquehanna Bank Center and filed for incentives with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA). Following EDA’s unanimous decision to grant $82 million in tax credits over the next ten years, the Sixers announced this week they will break ground on their very own training center in October this year.

At 120,000 square feet, the new practice space will become the largest and most advanced facility in the NBA, and will house the team’s basketball and business operations staffs. The massive development project is scheduled for completion in June 2016.

“It is imperative we are able to provide our players, coaches and staff with the resources necessary for success,” said Sixers co-Managing Owner David Blitzer. “This facility—the size and scope of which will be unmatched in the NBA—will allow our team to make great strides on and off the court as we work to join the league’s elite.”

According to the Sixers’ announcement, the new training center in Camden will be developed by Philadelphia-based AthenianRazak, while INTECH Construction will serve as the project’s construction manager. Jacobs Global Buildings Design is listed as the architect of record, and Threesixty Architecture will be the consulting design architect.

The Sixers are not the first team to train outside their home city. Last year Commercial Property Executive reported that the NFL’s Washington Redskins opened a $10 million training center in Richmond as part of an economic development between the city and Bon Secours.