The Orlando Magic's new training facility features a common room that players and families can take advantage of. CEO Alex Martins hopes the area creates a family atmosphere the team. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda, Orlando Sentinel)
The Orlando Magic left no stone unturned when they created their new training facility.
At a price tag of $70 million, the new 130,000-square-foot AdventHealth Training Center is a state-of-the-art facility full of some of the best amenities in the business. It’s part of a collaboration among the Magic and the DeVos family and AdventHealth, which houses an orthopedic and sports medicine clinic inside the building.
“We toured all the other facilities in the NBA and some NFL facilities; and everything that our players need to prepare, to rehab, to recoup and to keep them from getting injured is here,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins. “It’s everything that we would have hoped for and more.”
Along with a barbershop and full theater, here is a look at some of the top amenities it provides the Magic and its staff:
Basketball courts
Unlike Orlando’s current facility, which features one full-size basketball court for practice, the new training center features two full-size courts and two additional shooting goals over 21,000 square feet overlooked by an observation balcony.
“This is the most technologically advanced training facility from the standpoint that we have proprietary tracking mechanisms up in the rafters where our sports analytics team will use all the data to help analyze all of our players’ movements throughout every portion of practice,” Martins said, pointing out multiple cameras in the ceiling of the practice area.
Strength and conditioning area
Next to the practice courts and through a set of sliding glass garage doors is the Magic’s new strength and conditioning area, which features the latest weight training equipment, including weight racks and strength training machines. The facilities feature an indoor and outdoor training space with an incline ramp, training stairs, turf areas and a lap pool.
“Most facilities just don’t have the space to be able to outfit these types of things,” said Magic president Jeff Weltman.
Altitude chamber
The Magic have the luxury of having the first custom-built altitude chamber in the NBA. Players can train at different levels, increasing the number of red blood cells in the body and providing more oxygen to the muscles, according to LiveScience.com.
“I believe we are the only ones in the league with an altitude chamber,” added Martins. “That’s sort of the newest thing that nobody else had.”
Hydro area
Players can now take advantage of a hydro area that includes hot- and cold-plunge pools for recovery after workouts. There is also a small pool that will eventually have an underwater treadmill that is supposed to help recover from a lower-body injury.
Infrared sauna and steam room
The facility also has an infrared sauna and steam room that the Magic said will help rid players of toxins. The infrared sauna is equipped to remove about 20% of the toxins in a body, according to Sunlighten.com, which manufactured the facility, and the conventional sauna removes just about 3% of the toxins.
Float pod
The Magic are among the few NBA teams equipped with a sensory-deprivation pod that helps heal a player’s mind and body. Full of water and a high dose of Epsom salt, the pod helps to decrease anxiety and relieve muscle pain, according to the Magic.
“It’s one of my favorite things to do,” said Magic forward Wendell Carter Jr. “It’s very relaxing for me, and I always fall asleep. It’s amazing to have that right at our disposal in our locker room.”
Carter said every player has a different reason for utilizing the pod.
“For me, it’s a mental thing,” he explained. “You’re laying in there, it’s dark and you’re floating in the water. It’s like a mental break for me.”
Kitchen and dining area
Players and staff can benefit from a new 8,000-square-foot nutrition and wellness area with a full kitchen, staffed cooking stations for grab-and-go items, and an enhanced nutrition bar. The is also a 1,600-square-foot outdoor area that features multiple grills and smokers.
“We have a full-time firm that’s going to provide breakfast and lunch daily to our players and staff,” Martins said. “We have the outdoor patio with a full summer cooking kitchen with two big grills and a Big Green Egg. Cooks will be cooking those meals as lunches regularly, both in the kitchen and in the outdoor kitchen.
“As players arrive in the morning, they’ll be able to get their specialized smoothie that the nutritionist has prepared for them on a daily basis.”
Family lounge
Along with the kitchen and dining area is a dedicated lounge for families. For Martins, it’s one of his favorite parts of the new facility.
“I envision a place where staff, players, families, will be in a relaxed atmosphere, all integrated,” said Martins. “Part of a facility like this is building a culture, bringing everybody together, and having that team camaraderie.”
Added Carter, “It gives us a place for the players and their families to come together and build an environment for the team to maybe before games or after, they come here to relax and talk. That shows on and off the court; we can be a family.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.
()
Originally published at Tribune News Service