The NBA Playoffs are under way, and after losing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the fourth-seeded Toronto Raptors are looking to defeat the fifth seed Washington Wizards to even the series tomorrow night. While this playoff battle is the major Raptors story right now, we are bouncing ahead to the future of the franchise as construction progresses on a new practice facility at Exhibition Place from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) that will open in 2016.

Construction of the High Performance Basketball Development and Training Centre, facing north, image by Craig White

Designed by Baldwin & Franklin Architects with Oklahoma-based architects Guernsey, the new $30 million, 64,000 square-foot High Performance Basketball Development and Training Centre was approved by City Council last Summer, and since that time, foundation work has been completed and the building's steel skeleton is taking shape.

Construction of the High Performance Basketball Development and Training Centre, facing northeast, image by Craig White

The new practice facility will feature two full-sized basketball courts, training amenities, a players locker room and lounge, a video viewing room, a dining area, plus other features. Construction of the facility is expected to be completed by February 2016, in time for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, which will be hosted by the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre.

Though the facility's main use will be training and practice for the Toronto Raptors, the facility will also benefit other teams and associations, including Toronto Parks and Recreation programs, the TDSB and TCDSB, the Ontario Basketball Association (OBA), the Canadian National Exhibition Association (CNEA), and Canada Basketball.

Construction of the High Performance Basketball Development and Training Centre, facing southeast, image by Craig White

The new facility is being built at the site of a surface parking lot in Exhibition Place just west of the Arts, Crafts and Hobbies Building, currently occupied by Medieval Times. While not part of the building footprint, a baseball diamond to the immediate east of the site was lost to make way for temporary parking during construction of the new facility. Once the parking is no longer needed, the diamond will be rebuilt by MLSE at a projected cost of $1 million.

Construction of the High Performance Basketball Development and Training Centre, facing southeast, image by Craig White

Additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.