The Hawks and Emory Healthcare yesterday announced plans "to partner on a long-awaited sports medicine center and training facility," according to Chris Vivlamore of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. A source said that the 90,000-square-foot complex in Brookhaven will cost $50M-plus and be "privately funded." Plans for the facility "are complete and the groundbreaking is expected in mid-May to be ready" for the '17-18 NBA season. Hawks Owner Tony Ressler said, "From the first day I toured our practice facility, I felt and still feel, that the Atlanta Hawks, were and still are, at a professional disadvantage facilities-wise. ... Having a professional disadvantage, which I thought our practice facilities were, that’s not an organization I want to be a part of.” Vivlamore notes the entire basketball operations staff "will move to the new complex." Emory Healthcare "will have the naming rights to the facility and will become the official sports-medicine provider for the Hawks." The facility "will have 30,000 square feet dedicated to Emory, and its entire sports-medicine division will be located there." HOK, who recently designed the Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was "hired to design the facility." NBA teams joining medical facilities for practice and training complexes "has become a trend in the league." The T'Wolves (Mayo Clinic), Cavaliers (Cleveland Clinic) and Bulls (Advocate Center) "all recently opened such complexes" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/6).
