By David Pendered
Brookhaven has snared the Atlanta Hawks’ new practice facility and team headquarters. The Hawks are to partner on the facility with Emory Healthcare and a California-based company that specializes in improving the performance of athletes.
The Hawks intend to build a 90,000 square foot facility on Executive Park Drive. It will serve as the team’s training facility, house the team’s operations department, and be the first NBA training center to be co-located with a sports medicine center.
Tony Resssler, the team’s principal owner, said in a statement that the facility fulfills a major objective of the new owners. Details were arranged by Hawks CEO Steve Koonin, Coach Mike Budenholzer, and Dr. Scott Boden, director and chief medical officer of Emory’s Orthopaedics and Spine Center.
“When we became owners, one of our top priorities was to provide the resources necessary to build a world-class training facility – a key element of being a first-class franchise that consistently competes at the highest level,” Ressler said.
“We are thrilled with the partnership that Steve and Bud have forged with Dr. Boden and the Emory team in developing a new facility that will be at the forefront of how professional teams approach integrating sports medical technology in their training centers,” Ressler said.
The sports medicine center is to be a state-of-the art facility, based on its description. It is to provide:
- 3D motion capture;
- Force plates to measure joint stress;
- On-site blood/sweat testing and analysis for nutritional deficits and markers vital for the creation of individualized health and recovery plans;
- A fully dedicated recovery area including cryotherapy, sensory deprivation tanks and in-ground hydrotherapy.
All non-sports orthopaedic specialties will be located two blocks away at The Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center.
California-based Peak Performance Project is to open its second office in the country at the Hawks’ facility. The company now serves current Hawks players Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap.
P3 was founded in 2006 by Dr. Marcus Elliott. The company specializes in improving athlete’s performance by tailoring training programs.
“This strategic partnership will enable two outstanding organizations to create a new vision for sports medicine care and research for athletes at the highest levels of their game and translate this knowledge to our college, high school, and weekend athletes,” Boden, said in the statement. “The addition of P3, the world renowned leader in peak performance enhancement, will make our facility and the city of Atlanta a destination for the most elite of athletes.”
The facility is to be located about seven miles north of Philips Arena, in Downtown Atlanta.
“We place a great emphasis within our basketball program on player development, and the improvement of each player within our system is critical to our team’s collective success. The foundation of that development is ensuring the peak health and conditioning of our players and providing each of them with the coaching, resources and environment to develop to the best of their ability,” Budenholzer said. “Partnering with Emory and having P3 in our building will allow us to maximize the talent of our players, coaches and basketball operations staff while providing the best treatment and care possible.”
HOK will serve as the lead architect for the project. H.J. Russell & Co. will serve as project manager.
