The Mavericks’ new locker room is sleek and modern

When American Airlines Center opened in 2001, the Mavericks locker room was regarded as cutting edge — each locker had a TV and a PlayStation 2.

Yes, it was time for an upgrade.

Mark Cuban and the Mavs unveiled their new digs on Saturday afternoon, showing off major renovations to the locker room and training area. Every aspect of design was backed by science and research as Cuban said he wanted a competitive edge in every possible way.

The lights and colors are specifically picked to promote “physical and mental realization.” Cuban said he talked to casinos about how they keep people comfortable and alert 24 hours a day, which Cuban said was linked to flowing in fresh oxygen at maximum levels. He said, spend a few minutes inside the Mavs new locker room and you’ll feel like you can go run a mile.

Josh Bowe

Each locker comes with a host of new features. There’s a dock to load a tablet containing useful team information, schedules, etc. A refrigerated cup holder, a flat screen TV and ventilated drawers round out the amenities.

The design is also a drastic departure from the Mavs locker room from before. As Nerlens Noel said a couple days ago, it definitely looks like a space ship. Cuban constantly emphasized that everything about the design was to promote player alertness and health. He said the new locker room will keep players more focused and attentive than before.

There’s also some wild facial recognition technology when you enter. Tons of cameras in the ceilings scan everyone that walks in and (if you’re a player or staff) puts your face up on a screen near the entrance. This is super useful for players and coaches, Cuban said. When a player comes in and his scanned, it’ll pop up information on the monitor that they need — schedules, workout info, etc. It’ll also alert Rick Carlisle so he’ll know exactly when players enter the locker room, which is either great or terrible depending on how punctual a player is. Amazon Alexa is also integrated throughout the training room as Cuban called out in the middle of the room to change the music to the Shark Tank theme song.

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Grid View

• Nick Angstadt
• Nick Angstadt
• Josh Bowe
• The blue lights are Morse code that spell out “Dallas Mavericks” Josh Bowe

The training area also got a new overhaul, with new equipment (Cuban’s stairmaster that he uses while talking to the media still made it) with new showers, bathrooms and training pools. When you enter the main entrance where the training room is, you walk right into a trophy case featuring the three trophies the Mavs have collected from the 2011 title and two Western Conference Finals wins.

There’s also a lot of local flair, with the Dallas skyline in each of the jersey hangers and Cuban said “98 percent” of the hours worked on this project were from Dallas-based companies.