The Los Angeles Sparks are building a new practice facility, but some WNBA teams lag behind

The Los Angeles Sparks are the latest WNBA team to begin plans to construct their own practice facility. For the last two seasons, the Sparks practiced at El Camino College, a community college in Torrance, California.

“We are building more than a practice facility; we are investing in the future of women’s basketball in Los Angeles,” said Sparks governor Eric Holoman in a statement. “This facility is part of a broader vision to elevate the LA Sparks as the premier franchise in the WNBA and to create an environment where our players have every resource they need to achieve greatness. Los Angeles is a city of champions, and we are determined to bring that winning legacy to the Sparks.”

With the announcement, the Sparks become the third team with plans for their own practice facility in the coming years. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has stressed that team-specific practice facilities are key priorities for expansion teams. They’re something that players themselves have been quite outspoken about throughout the years.

4 teams that have their own practice facilities

The Las Vegas Aces set the tone for the rest of the league when they unveiled their practice facility. Ahead of the 2023 season, the team constructed a $40 million, 64,000 square-foot-facility. Two basketball courts, weight rooms, training rooms, a film room, a player lounge, a family room, locker rooms, hot and cold plunge pools, an infrared sauna, cryotherapy, a nutrition bar, and more.

Aces players have gushed about the significance of this type of facility.

“For us to have this and to go from us not having lockers at one point to now having an HQ of our own, I think it goes to show the direction that we’re going and where women’s basketball needs to go,” A’ja Wilson told The Athletic soon after the facilities were unveiled.

Photo by Ian Maule/NBAE via Getty Images

The Seattle Storm unveiled their own facility in 2023 — a $64 million, 50,000 square foot facility called the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance.

The Phoenix Mercury unveiled the new state-of-the-art facilities during WNBA All-Star weekend — a $100 million, 58,000 square foot facility in downtown Phoenix.

Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images

The Golden State Valkyries — set to join the league next season — will have their own state-of-the-art facilities from the beginning. The facility, based in Oakland, is over 30,000 square feet.

3 teams share a dedicated facility with their NBA counterparts

The Indiana Fever share a practice facility with the Indiana Pacers, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where they also play their games. The Fever were displaced from the Fieldhouse from 2000 to 2002, as it underwent renovations. Within the facility, the Fever have their own amenities.

The Minnesota Lynx share a practice facility with the Minnesota Timberwolves, at the Courts at Mayo Center. The Lynx were the first WNBA team to have their own designated practice space, which includes their own court, locker room, and training areas. Construction on this facility began in 2014, and for years, provided a big distinction between the Lynx and other WNBA teams.

The Washington Mystics practice at the MedStar Health Performance Center, a space they share with the Washington Wizards. Players have 24/7 access to the facilities, and get to benefit from NBA resources.

4 WNBA teams have plans for their own practice facilities

The Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings, and New York Liberty are all on track for their own facilities by 2026. The Sparks now join that group of teams with plans in the works, though there’s still no timetable for their facility’s construction.

The Sky announced they would build a brand-new performance center in July, a $38-million facility larger than 40,000 square feet. That came after years of practicing at the Sachs Recreation Center, a public facility that doesn’t belong to the Sky.

The Wings, meanwhile, are planning to relocate from Arlington, Texas to Dallas. Wings CEO Greg Bibb has shared that that move will come with the team getting their own practice facility, though limited details have been shared: “We’re creating a practice facility that is on par with any NBA facility out there.”

In July, Joe and Clara Wu Tsai announced they were building a practice facility for the Liberty in Brooklyn. Currently, the Liberty utilize the practice court at Barclay’s Center. They only a single court — not the two side-by-side courts that are customary — but the facility’s location is convenient.

2 WNBA teams have no explicit plans for their own practice facilities

The Atlanta Dream and Connecticut Sun are now the only two teams that don’t have their own practice facility — or a plan to build one.

The Sun currently practice at the Tribal Practice Facility, a part of the Mohegan Community and Government Center in Uncasville, Connecticut. The team doesn’t have exclusive access to the facility, so players can’t use it year-round. The facility also lacks a lot of the amenities a professional basketball team’s dedicated space would have. There have been several high-profile instances of the Sun being kicked out of the facility in favor of community events; for example, during the first round of the playoffs against the Fever, they had to share the court with a toddler’s birthday party.

The Atlanta Dream practices at the Core4 Athletic Complex, a facility built by former NBA player Paul Millsap. The facility is professional — it has multiple practice courts, a weight room, saunas, etc — but it’s not specifically theirs, and it is about 23 miles from Gateway Center, where the team plays. `