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Providence Swedish is a proud founding partner of the Seattle Storm's Center for Basketball Performance

Published Date
Author Swedish News

Providence Swedish has been the Storm's "Official Health Care Partner" since 2016. The new practice facility spans 50,000 square feet and includes two indoor professional basketball courts and strength and conditioning, health and wellness and aquatics facilities. 

The four-time WNBA champion Seattle Storm opened its groundbreaking Center for Basketball Performance on April 18, marking a significant milestone in women's professional sports. It's the first dedicated WNBA practice facility designed and built from the ground up.

Providence is proud to be named a founding partner of the facility, which is a continuation of our existing partnership with the Storm. Providence Swedish has been the team's "Official Health Care Partner" since 2016. 

Watch video: Join us for a look inside the Seattle Storm's new practice facility.   

Located in Seattle's Interbay neighborhood, the Seattle Storm's Center for Basketball Performance spans 50,000 square feet and includes two indoor professional basketball courts, two outdoor 3x3 courts, and an exclusive suite for the Seattle Storm that includes a locker room, nutrition center, and a player lounge. Designed with a focus on high performance, the facility features the latest in strength and conditioning equipment, health and wellness suites, and an aquatics center.

Providence Swedish clinical space

Our medical team will continue to deliver comprehensive medical care and sports medicine services for the athletes. The facility features a state-of-the-art sports medicine clinical space to help assess and treat injured players. 

“We will have a separate consultation clinical space that can be used for medical evaluation, diagnostic ultrasounds, and simple procedures like joint injections without players having to leave the facility and come to the clinics,” explained Michael Erickson, M.D., the Storm's head physician.

Players have access to equipment like low-weight treadmills, a sauna, a lap pool, and hot and cold pods for return-to-activity with modified weight bearing or non-weight bearing. "This is helpful to maintain overall fitness while preventing and recovering from an injury," said Dr. Erickson.

“It allows the players to train and get care including rehabilitation from injuries all in the same space with the most up to date equipment and provider support from the multidisciplinary team,” says Steven Stanos, D.O., executive medical director of Swedish Rehabilitation & Performance Medicine. 

Other highlights include:

  • Some 85% of all design and engineering team members were women and people of color.
  • The Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance is a LEED Gold Building with enhanced HVAC efficiencies, which reduces energy use by 46% compared to a standard building of this size.
  • This is the first Priority Green Commercial Project built in Seattle (enhanced energy reduction beyond LEED Gold).
  • The facility was built with the lowest carbon concrete used in Seattle, with over 40% carbon reduction compared to the regional average.
  • More than 85% of construction materials were recycled and diverted during construction avoiding waste going to the landfill.

“Not only will this facility be an asset to the players, but it will be open to the community for camps and training,” added Dr. Stanos. “It will highlight the importance of developing female athletes of every age. I am proud of our partnership with the Storm in improving access to athletics for girls in the community. This is the first of its kind for Seattle and Providence Swedish.”

About Providence Swedish

Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 22,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $406 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound Region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care.