Pacers, St. Vincent Will Team Up At New Facility

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that they will partner with St. Vincent on a proposed training facility and medical office building near Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The proposed $50 million, 130,000 square-foot building, to be called the St. Vincent Center, would be built on a piece of property along Delaware Street  -- next to the Virginia Avenue parking garage. 

St. Vincent says the center will provide primary care, cardiovascular and sports performance services for athletes and the general public. The Pacers will make use of two NBA-regulation practice courts, along with state-of-the-art training and medical facilities. The team also plans to move most of its offices to the center, freeing up space in the fieldhouse.

The Pacers are expecting the partnership with St. Vincent will build more than just a space to practice. They say the new facility to be a recruiting tool for free agents, and its proximity to St. Vincent’s medical expertise will help the players become better athletes.

“We see some synergies between the two companies working together, especially in the same building,” said Pacers President of Basketball operations Larry Bird. “This is a state of the art facility that helps a small market team compete for top talent in a very competitive business.”

Financial details of the partnership haven’t been disclosed, but naming rights for other NBA practice facilities have been reported between $500,000 and $1 million per year.

There are still some hurdles to clear before the Pacers and St. Vincent can break ground. The Capital Improvement Board, which owns the land, signed off on the Pacers’ plan to build the facility. But the property has only been approved for a parking lot. The City’s  Department of Metropolitan Development must still give its OK on the architectural design and the change in land use.

If approved, the St. Vincent Center is expected to open in 2017.