Alexander Shun

Web Editor Associate | Twitter

The Minnesota Lynx and Minnesota Timberwolves hosted a grand opening of their new training center, The Courts at Mayo Clinic Square, on Wednesday afternoon to show off their amazing new facility. To fully understand how big of an event such an opening was, one must simply look at the guest list.

WNBA President Laurel Richie, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Mayo Clinic President and CEO Dr. John Noseworthy and Wolves and Lynx Owner Glen Taylor were all in attendance to officially open the center and see the plethora of fabulous amenities that The Courts at Mayo Clinic Square has to offer.

Richie was blown away when she walked through the facility.

“It far exceeds expectations, which were already high. You see the drawings and hear about the plans and then you walk through it live and it’s larger than I thought, it’s more comprehensive than I thought and it’s incredibly well-designed. It’s an amazing, absolute state-of the-art facility.”

When one sees the facility, it is easy to understand why.

The Courts at Mayo Clinic Square is a 107,000 square foot, first of its kind, corporate headquarters and training center consisting of individual practice courts for the Lynx and the Wolves, multiple treatment pools, saunas, film rooms and a player lounge and nutrition center.

Of course, such an incredible facility would not be possible were it not for the partnership with Minnesota’s largest employer and the company that has called Minnesota home for 150 years now, the Mayo Clinic.

Located just across from the Lynx and Wolves’ offices, the players now have the luxury of receiving the best care possible instantaneously; something that Taylor says gives both teams an advantage both on and off the court.

Speaking about the partnership with Mayo Clinic, Richie said it is truly a great partnership and of great benefit to everyone.

“I am just so proud and grateful that they [women in Minnesota] will have access to the resources, the research, the facility, the care that is being provided in this wonderful building,” Richie said. “I couldn’t be more proud to be a partner of the Mayo Clinic.”

With such incredible amenities, it is easy to see why many are now considering The Courts at Mayo Clinic Square to be the best training facility in the league.

“I have already heard from our players and our coaches and our trainers about just how proud they are to be in this facility. I think it has done great things for this city and is really now a cornerstone of the sports and entertainment district here in this great city,” Richie said. “I do believe that this is the gold standard across our league and I’m just really proud to be in partnership with this group.”

Since Richie became President of the WNBA in April of 2011, she has fought to put her league on the same level as the NBA, and she says the new facility does an excellent job of making the leagues equal.

“I’m a bit of a softie, and I teared up three or four times walking through because people often talk about equality and shared resources, but you don’t always actually see that when it plays out in real life and in practice. So at every corner and at every turn, you see a celebration and a recognition of the Timberwolves and of the Lynx and I think that’s just an incredibly powerful statement.”

Richie had nothing but praise for the new facility and says that The Courts at Mayo Clinic Square is the example that other organizations could consider following.

“My hat is off to the Lynx and Timberwolves organization, and in partnership with the Mayo Clinic who shares those values, of reaching professional athletes and amateur athletes, men, women, girls, boys,” Richie said. “So I think they’re just setting an incredible example, not only to other sports teams, but to other communities as well.”