AKRON, Ohio — The Cavaliers currently practice in Independence, about a 20-minute drive south of Cleveland. But that’s all about to change.
According to a joint press release from the team, Cleveland Clinic and real estate firm Bedrock, “one of the world’s largest and most cutting-edge interdisciplinary training centers” will be built in downtown Cleveland.
This training center is officially called the Global Peak Performance Center and will sit on the Cuyahoga Riverfront. It will be open to the public.
Mostly, the Cavs will use it as their new practice facility. What becomes of the current facility in Independence is anyone’s guess. It opened in 2007.
Already, the Cavs have gone from hosting Media Day there to hosting it at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. So many were beginning to suspect practices would eventually be held downtown, too.
“We are thrilled to have our Cavaliers training here in Cleveland and looking forward to seeing this state-of-the-art facility come to life,” Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said in the press release. “Our ongoing partnership with Bedrock on the Cuyahoga Riverfront Master Plan really lays the foundation for innovation and transformational projects and we are excited to continue this growth and momentum.”
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert went into more detail on the center.
“This past December, Bedrock unveiled its visionary and ambitious Cuyahoga Riverfront Master Plan that will transform Cleveland’s riverfront into one of the world’s premier waterfronts,” Gilbert said. “With today’s announcement, we are taking the first step in realizing that vision by joining forces with Cleveland Clinic to design an innovative Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center right in Downtown Cleveland. This center will not only serve our team on and off the court, but it will create an opportunity for the everyday athlete to receive state-of-the-art care in Northeast Ohio.”
It has yet to be determined when the facility may be finished. Until it is, the Cavs will continue on in Independence.
The rendering below shows Bedrock’s vision for a stretch of riverfront land behind Tower City in downtown Cleveland. The Cavs training complex could rise at the southeastern end of the site, where this image (via Bedrock and Adjaye Associates) shows the outlines of buildings at the lower right.
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