NBA Stadium Showcase: A Tour Of Target Center In Minneapolis

When downtown Minneapolis’ Target Center opened its doors in 1990, the home of the Timberwolves and later the Lynx was fairly ahead of its time. Built at a cost of $104 million, Target Center’s layout included a full array of luxury suites, an element missing in the original and now torn down late 80’s expansion team stadiums in Orlando, Miami and Charlotte. The nearly 19,000-seat venue also came equipped with a moveable floor, with the surface rising five feet when hockey or other ice based events were taking place. In addition, a still in existence 160,000-square-foot health club was erected underneath the arena. The now Life Time Fitness club serves as downtown Minneapolis’ best fitness spot, while also being the former location of both the Wolves and Lynx practice courts.

Fast-forward to the 2010’s and the once modern structure had become woefully outdated. With this situation in play, last fall, Target Center took on a completely new look thanks to a $145 million renovation. Below is a photo and video tour of the vastly improved NBA and WNBA home court.

Target Center’s once very sizeable ticket lobby has been split into a smaller more modern feeling gathering place, now shared with the large and luxurious Lexus Courtside Club.

The highlight of the ticket area is the multi level hoop and ball sculpture, found right near the building’s main entrance.

The Lexus Courtside Club is accessible via the lobby, as well as a VIP entrance on the First Avenue side of the facility. The five-star dining and drinking space offers two separate entrances to the nearby Lexus courtside seats.

Every single one of Target Center’s seats were replaced during the renovation, with the fabric now taking on a darker appearance, as opposed to the prior blue and red manifestations.

The first tunnel to appear in the video leads to the respective Wolves and WNBA visiting locker-rooms, with the opposite tunnel leading to the Lynx/NBA visiting team shared area. 

Behind the NBA and WNBA bench areas sits Target Center’s event level locker-room corridor. The video showcases the entrances to the Lynx/visiting NBA team shared dressing space, with subsequent doors on the right-side leading to WNBA/NBA officials, Lynx/visiting NBA team coaches, WNBA/NBA mascot and WNBA/NBA halftime dressing rooms.

When concerts or other performances are taking place in the building, this set of five rooms becomes talent dressing areas.

On the left-side, just past the Lynx/visiting NBA team entrance, the exterior door that leads to the massive Lynx/Timberwolves shared training room is present, followed by a look at the enlarged Lynx player and coaches murals that line the east wall of the hallway. When NBA season is in full swing, pictures of Wolves players and coaches adorn the very same wall.

The tour continues with a glimpse of the entry hallway of the Wolves locker-room. The door on the left serves as the entrance to the shared training space, with the locker and bathroom/shower section found straight ahead and the player lounge/dining room present via the right-side door. The Wolves coaching staff’s offices and dressing area is on the opposite side of the lounge, with a direct entrance seen once back in the hallway.

The journey through the corridor then peaks in the WNBA/NBA press conference room, the WNBA visiting locker area (serves as a Wolves family room during the NBA season), followed by a peek at the press work areas, which include photo, IT and copy rooms, along with the media lounge.

The clip ends with a look into the area where the Wolves and visiting WNBA teams make their way to the tunnel that leads to the court.

The below photo provides a look at the expanded loading dock and marshalling yard, which sits not far from the Lynx/visiting NBA locker-room.  

The new look Target Center features 53 luxury suites, along with two theater boxes (theater boxes not pictured).

The Premium Level also includes the Chairman’s Club, with sections found above the Lexus Courtside Club and ticket lobby.

Club TI sits on the very same level, above the tunnel used by the Lynx and visiting NBA squads.

Located on the Skyway Level, which connects the arena to three nearby parking ramps on its north side and Minneapolis’ vast network of skyways on its east side, the TCL SixOneTwo Club is designed to take on the look of trendy Minneapolis bar.

This premium room was formerly the longtime home of the Timberwolves and Lynx front offices, which are now part of the NBA/WNBA shared corporate headquarters and practice facility, located across the street from Target Center.