Even visitors can sense an undeniable feeling of possibility inside the new Houston Rockets training facility on Old Katy Road.
Part of it is the sunlight. Unlike the team's previous space in the Toyota Center, the new facility has natural light streaming in through windows all around the perimeter. It illuminates the tiny number of scuff marks on the new floor of the court. The team had just finished practicing half an hour before the media tour began, and the smell of sweat and effort lingers in the air.
Partnered with Memorial Hermann, the new facility is 75,000 square feet, which is three times larger than before and big enough for two practice courts. The project cost $70 million.
During the press conference, Rockets owner Tilman J. Fertitta jokes that this is the exact amount he lost the bid by when he tried to buy the team in 1993. Ultimately, he paid $2.2 billion for the team when he acquired it in 2017.
He seems pleased with the building, especially its location just 15 minutes from the Toyota Center and 10 minutes north of the Post Oak Hotel, Fertitta's luxury property that recently earned a coveted Michelin Key.
“Most teams build their training centers way out of town,” he says. "I didn’t want to do that. I wanted it to be convenient for the players, coaches, and media.”
The focus in the building is on the glory days of Clutch City in the 1990s, with the team’s two world champion trophies displayed in the extremely black and red lobby. The offices are decorated with prints of legends like Clyde Drexler and Elvin Hayes. Rockets legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Rudy Tomjanovich showed up for the opening, too, sitting and joking as Fertitta showed off the building.
One goal for the new facility is to make Houston as attractive as possible for future players, and there’s no doubt that goal was accomplished. The locker rooms are double the size of those at Toyota Center, with elegant designs that resemble walk-in closets. Visiting teams have a separate locker room, complete with its own entrance, should they need to use the facility.
The actual training areas are a high-tech combination of gym and treatment facility. Multiple massage rooms, hot tubs, and cold plunge baths offer players whatever they need from the Memorial Hermann staff. Meanwhile, the weight room is calm and quiet thanks to the pneumatic machines eliminating the clank of barbells. Outside is a climbing stair with three different treads. Every amenity an athlete could want is within a few yards of the practice court, which sits in the center of the complex like a jewel in a prized ring.
After the tour, Fertitta answered questions. One that came up repeatedly was whether the facility might soon be hosting a WNBA team. Even as the WNBA gains new mainstream success, the city has been without a women’s team since 2008. Fertitta says that Houston is among eight cities vying for a franchise, and getting one is a top priority.
“We’ve had some of the greatest players here, but we had an owner who didn’t even live in Houston,” says Fertitta, taking a shot at his predecessor, Leslie Alexander. “Sometimes, you just have to do something for the community. This city deserves a WNBA team. We need to get it, then we’ll figure out how to make it profitable.”
Photo courtesy of Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have opened their new training facility on Old Katy Road.
Paul Juda on parallel bars for the University of Michigan team.Photo by John Cheng