Manu Ginobili among the backers of a new planned sports performance project in South Florida

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HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Manu Ginobili once lost an NBA Finals in Miami. He was then part of beating Miami for the NBA title the following season. And, as an Argentine, he fully understands the multi-cultural flavor of the area and what sports mean in the region.

So now, the basketball great is investing in Miami’s potential.

Ginobili, the former San Antonio Spurs star, is part of a group set to build what is being called the Sports Performance Hub — and what his team points to as a “next-generation sports, education, and community development project.” It’ll include a planned 10,000-seat stadium for Miami FC, which plays in the United Soccer League, along with sports training facilities, a basketball facility, a boarding school, a hotel, academic buildings and more all on one campus.

Groundbreaking is set for March, with plans to open in 2028.

“You don’t have to be blind to see the growth that Miami has experienced in the last 20 years,” said Ginobili, whose Spurs beat the Heat in the 2014 finals after losing to Miami the previous season. “I remember when I started going to Miami in ’02, when I made it to the NBA, and what it turned into is incredible. And it has become not only a hub for Latin America, but a worldwide hub.”

There are a number of partners working alongside Ginobili in the $280 million, privately funded project. Among them: Riccardo Silva, who co-owns Miami FC, Argentine great Juan Sebastian Veron and Dario Sala, a former top pro soccer player in Argentina. In recent weeks, the group announced the appointment of longtime sports executive Nick Sakiewicz as its CEO.

“If you see every background for the management team, the professional athletes, shareholders, co-founders, everyone gives back to the kids, back to the community in so many areas like community clinics, camps, charity events,” Sala said. “That’s the essence of what SPH is.”

The idea is simple: Connect the best of sport training with the best of academics and make everything somehow intertwined. Being near Miami, a melting pot city and a global gateway, will have obvious benefits as well — since SPH is planning on having students from all over the world.

Silva has longstanding ties to Miami, and his Miami FC team has called the stadium at Florida International University home since 2016. Real estate growth is a constant in South Florida, and Silva said he sees the benefit of going 35 miles south of downtown Miami to Homestead — where, he said, far more room for development exists.

Homestead is on the southern edge of Miami-Dade County and features, among other things, Homestead-Miami Speedway — which hosts NASCAR annually — and events like the Homestead Championship Rodeo.

Local officials have raved about the idea, and Mayor Steve Losner said late last year that the facility could “be an incredible asset, while providing long-term benefits to our local economy.”

Documents filed with city officials also show plans for tennis and pickleball courts, walking paths, playgrounds in the first phase of construction, followed by the addition of training facilities, athlete development programs, performance technology centers and more.

“I think this academy will be both a big advantage for Miami, and Miami will be a big advantage for the academy, so it’s mutual,” Silva said. “Like Manu said, it’s a hub for not only the whole Americas, but for all over the world. There is a waiting list for the best schools in the world. I have experienced this with my kids. All families are looking for good schools and now there’s a need for this kind of academy, not just here but all over the world.”

A project like this isn’t something that Ginobili probably could have ever envisioned when he was facing off against the Heat during his time in the NBA. And while he’s still loyal to San Antonio, he echoed his partners in saying he believes Miami is the right place for his latest venture.

“We’re going to be able to have the latest technology and all the developments,” Ginobili said. “We have pretty high standards. We take this as our project and something that we wish we had when we were growing up. It’s a very difficult task, but it’s going to be so rewarding and a learning process for all of us.”

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