SAN ANTONIO - The timing couldn't be more perfect. If all goes according to plan, French phenom Victor Wembanyama will begin his Spurs journey right as the franchise opens the doors to its new state-of-the-art practice facility.

It's part of a $500 million campus known as the Rock at La Cantera, a multi-phase project spanning 45 acres at the intersection of I-10 and Loop 1604 on the Northwest Side.

"This will be the best of the best," said Phil Cullen, senior director of basketball operation and organizational development for the Spurs. "For us, the expectations of this building have been a long time coming."

Not just a new practice facility, the Rock will also be home a human performance research center, a 22-acre park and a public outdoor event plaza. In many ways, it's Cullen's baby. He's overseen every step of its development.

"There were about 200 different sites that we toured for this, R.C. and myself," he explained. "Learning best practices, meeting with people – specialists and thought leaders throughout the world of professional sport."

The seeds for the Rock were planted more than seven years ago, during a time when the franchise was still in the midst of its record-breaking 22-season playoff streak. Then came the lean years. The sub-.500 finishes and the roster shakeups. No one could have predicted back then what the 2023 draft lottery would bring, but the Spurs knew the team desperately needed a new practice facility, so they continued to pound the rock.

"In the NBA, there are 30 teams," Cullen said. "27 out of the 30 NBA teams are in new or newly-renovated spaces. So, it becomes a competitive advantage for us to have an updated modern facility to meet the needs of a modern-day NBA player."

NBA players don't get much more modern than Victor Wembanyama.

"Like the Field of Dreams quote, 'If you build it, they will come' type of deal," Cullen said with a smile. "For us, it couldn't have timed out any better."

Speaking of time, the clock is ticking to finish construction by the start of the upcoming season.

"We've got about 175 folks right now that are trying to get this thing through the finish line," Cullen said.

The crews have been busy pounding the rock, as the franchise likes to say. They actually broke ground on the practice facility in January of last year and expect to be complete by September of this year. All told, an 18-month project that should be finished by the start of Spurs training camp in early October.

"We've got a lot of moving pieces right now to get this thing finalized," Cullen added.

But again, this new practice facility is only part of phase one.

"If we were building a practice facility just for our players, it would be a miss," Cullen explained. "We wanted to make sure that the development actually had true impact with our community."

The Rock at La Cantera has five different projects underway right now, including the event plaza, which will feature sculptures, a splash pad and a restaurant set to open in March.

"We'll also have a large outdoor LED screen," Cullen said. "So, we're really looking to have kind of an urban town center here."

Capturing the Spurs' legacy – the team's excellence over the past half-century – while embracing what's to come. That's the goal. Propelling the franchise – and the city – into the future.

"It was the direction from ownership and the whole family from the get-go," Cullen reiterated. "This had to be rooted in our community. It had to impact our community and better the lives of the communities that we represent."

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