EL SEGUNDO — The Sparks are one construction beam closer to having their own practice facility for the first time since the WNBA tipped off in 1997.
“It feels very real,” Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike said. “For the longest, we’ve been told that this would or could happen, and for me to see it with my own eyes, it means that we’re truly invested in the long-term process of maintaining the legacy here with Sparks.”
It’s been 30 seasons of practicing at various sites like Los Angeles Southwest College and El Camino College in Torrance.
“We have a home,” Ogwumike continued. “We’re no longer nomads.”
The Sparks’ new $150M training facility, which will also serve as the team’s headquarters, is currently under construction on Rosecrans Avenue in El Segundo next to The Point and across the street from Manhattan Village. Crews raised and secured the final structural beam Wednesday afternoon at the topping-out ceremony, keeping the project on schedule to open before the start of next season in May 2027.
The team’s front office wants their new crown jewel, featuring the league’s first-ever indoor-outdoor player sanctuary, to help recruit championship-level talent via free agency and help them retain players once they are on the team’s roster.
The aforementioned sanctuary will have an outdoor spa pool, dedicated nap rooms, wellness spaces, hydrotherapy, two basketball courts, a weight room, and the organization’s first Sparks-only locker room.
POV: An exclusive walking tour inside the Los Angeles Sparks new $150 million headquarters, which will also serve as the team’s training and practice facility in El Segundo, California. It is scheduled to open in by Spring 2027 before the start of next season. pic.twitter.com/E3sGaZZXSl
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 26, 2026
Ogwumike, the team’s all-time leading scorer, is retiring at the end of the season but can envision how the new facility will benefit current and future players.
“I think that this is certainly something that will add to the free agency experience and future players’ understanding why playing here long term is something that’s good for their career,” said Ogwumike, who re-signed with the Sparks before the season. “This is becoming standard across the league, so if we can exceed those standards with not just having a facility but the type of facility, I think it will give us a great leg up.”
The Sparks have not made the playoffs since 2020 and the three-time championship franchise has not reached the WNBA Finals since 2017. Sparks team president Stacy Johns, who was hired in April, said the new facility is part of rebuilding the team’s championship culture.
“This will be a huge milestone and step up for us to be able to recruit players,” Johns said, “but it’s not just the building, it has to happen inside the building too. So we have to build a culture of accountability, championship talent, and really work together and be a team, so I think this is the facility we need, but we are responsible for building that culture internally to take it to the next level to be able to recruit the best talent.”
Sparks assistant coach Ebony Hoffman is a Los Angeles native who played at USC until 2004, then spent 11 seasons in the WNBA, including three with her hometown team between 2011-13. She said that if she were still playing and entering free agency, a state-of-the-art practice facility would be a major factor in her decision-making.
“You want to have a facility at your fingertips where you can shoot in the middle of the night when you just need to blow off steam,” Hoffman said. “You can go into the same facility for your recovery. If you need to talk to someone in the business office, they’re all within the same building. So it makes to being a feasible space to now where everybody is interconnected but also where it’s home. Everything is right where it needs to be.”
“If you have players that come into a facility and don’t want to leave, now you’re cooking,” Hoffman concluded.
The 2026 Los Angeles Sparks roster is all smiles about the organization’s new training facility that will expected to open before the 2027 WNBA season. pic.twitter.com/9bq7O4usqy
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) August 26, 2026