On November 7th in an undisclosed nearly 80,000-square-foot plane hangar in west L.A.,(which was once owned by Howard Hughes and rumored to be where the Spruce Goose was built) Brand Jordan introduced the Jordan Hangar (Similar to NYC’s Terminal 23) which will be the new home for performance basketball in Los Angeles and where Jordan Brand athletes Chris Paul and Blake Griffin (as well as other JB athletes) will be able to train in the off-season.
Included in the Jordan Hangar are:
A full-size, regulation basketball court, with a stylized silver base and Jordan fractal pattern up and down the floorboards. The brand’s social/digital handle, @jumpman23, runs along the baseline, and CP and Blake’s logos are featured in the paint between the basket and free throw line. Sleek, light-colored, multi-tiered stands that rise up beyond the far backboard; and, above the court – more than halfway to the 75-foot-high rafters – is a three-paneled jumbotron, with each panel measuring 100 square feet.
Entering the Jordan Hangar (where the hashtag #takeflight in cement greets every high flier on the way in) guests walk down a mini Hollywood Blvd. Walk of Fame, with each Jordan Brand basketball athlete getting their own star. On the wall in front as you turn into the open space: a white wall with artistic carvings of MJ’s accomplishments.
Two performance measurement elements stand out in the hangar as you walk toward the court. The first is The Cube, a 10-foot high, four-sided box, with a video screen on each side. Players can grab a ball and test their skills while mimicking the timed, repetitive on-screen drills performed by the athlete on-screen, all moves Chris Paul himself uses in-game – including his famous jab step and the beginnings of his crossover. During the drill, a voice from the box counts down the time the player must continue that move, as well as hints on how to improve throughout. Moving from The Cube toward the court is a runway, launch and landing pad measuring a player’s jump, calculating the pounds of force generated on liftoff. Through sensors on the pad, the information comes up within seconds on the screen.
The Jordan Hangar also features two NBA-style locker rooms with a dozen lockers each: one locker room for CP, another for Blake. Each player has a dedicated locker, complete with golden nameplate, which are reserved solely for their use. The locker room has a lounge with leather chairs, couches and a 75-inch flat-screen TV, set up for NBA 2K matchups.
In addition to off-season training, the site will also feature games between local highschools and become a possible testing site for future products. Check out some photo’s of this amazing facility below!
