The new LeBron James Innovation Center built by Nike

Yesterday, Nike announced the opening of the LeBron James Innovation Center, an avant-garde centre measuring approximately 70,000 square metres on the company's campus in Beaverton, Oregon. A building projected into the future where you can test and create new technologies, thanks to its many training facilities. The LeBron James Innovation Center has four climatic chambers that simulate every possible weather condition, even the most adverse, a basketball court, a 200-metre track, a 100-metre straight stretch and a synthetic turf training field. All these facilities are complemented by rooms with 400 motion-capture cameras, 97 force plates and body-mapping equipment. After signing a lifetime contract in 2015 with Nike, LeBron James now joins two sportsmen and women like Michael Jordan and Serena Williams, who also have dedicated buildings.

"Having my name on Nike's innovation building feels appropriate," says James, "because I'm always trying to figure out how I can continue to innovate and break the timeline of what they say is your best.

A space that will offer athletes the opportunity to train on a campus that is devoid of any natural gradient, which is why the facility also includes a 50-metre high ramp with a 15.63% incline. A way to push the athletes' performance to higher levels. The LeBron James Innovation Center will house more than 700 employees and will also include the "Glo's" restaurant, named after the NBA player's mother, Gloria Marie James.

The centre was designed by Tom Kundig, one of the best architects around, and it took exactly four years to complete, not without difficulty, even though the idea dates back to 2013. Among all the facilities and innovations, the highlight of the LeBron James Innovation Center is on the top floor where the Nike Sport Research Lab is located. Nike therefore leads the way with the aim of achieving a perfect degree of mental and physical well-being.