North OKC Building Chosen as Temporary Practice Facility

OKLAHOMA CITY, July 22, 2008 - Oklahoma City’s new NBA team has reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Performance Sports Center building in north Oklahoma City to use as its temporary home for practice and basketball operations offices, team officials announced today. The 30,000 square foot facility will serve as the team’s practice facility until a permanent one is constructed at a still to be determined location.

“We were quite impressed with what Performance Sports Center was able to offer for our temporary needs. The NBA size court and weight and training facilities are efficient for us in the interim " said team General Manager Sam Presti. “It’s an excellent location and we feel our players, coaches and staff will fit in well there. The Oklahoma City area offered several good facilities but we decided this best met our needs,” Presti said.

The facility will require some minor improvements to meet temporary team needs and NBA specifications including changes to the locker rooms, training area, office space, meeting rooms and media room. The team plans to move in once the improvements are made, which should be by the time training camp opens in late September. The City of Oklahoma City is assisting in providing the temporary facility.

Presti added it’s more than just a place to practice basketball. “This is a very important piece of our basketball operations. It’s the players’ office, where they spend a great deal of time practicing, conditioning and continuing to develop as a team.”