The Charlotte Hornets will break ground on their new practice facility in early 2025, the team announced Monday. It's expected to open in time for the 2026-2027 NBA season.
Why it matters: The Charlotte Hornets Performance Center is part of a wave of change along Trade Street , including Spectrum Center upgrades and a new transit center. City leaders see this change as a catalyst for establishing a thriving district.
By the numbers: The city will provide $30 million to the project and Hornets Sports & Entertainment (HSE) will fund anything above that — roughly $70 million to $100 million, Axios previously reported .
- HSE will own the new practice facility.
Rendering: Courtesy of the Charlotte Hornets
The 160,000-square-foot Charlotte Hornets Performance Center will include:
- More than 100,000 square feet of training, practice and recovery space.
- 35,000 square feet of offices for the team's business operations.
- Up to 2,500 square feet of ground-level retail space and a public plaza on the corner of Caldwell Street and 5th Street.
Rendering: Courtesy of the Charlotte Hornets
Catch up quick: The team's current practice facility is located inside Spectrum Center.
- In 2022, the city and HSE negotiated a deal to keep the team in Charlotte through 2045. Charlotte City Council approved $275 million total for a standalone practice facility and arena renovations.
- There have been tweaks to the deal, such as the location of the practice facility, and how much of the $275 million would go to the practice facility versus the arena.
- Council voted 7-1 in March for the practice facility to be across from the arena in a current parking lot between Davidson, Trade, Caldwell and 5th streets.
- Council also approved redistributing $30 million of the original $60 million intended for the practice facility, which has been redirected toward arena renovations. The amount of city funding hasn't changed, rather how it's distributed between the two projects.
Zoom in: Expect the facility to have a title sponsor, a team spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Zoom out: Populous is the designer, Gilbane Building Company and Charlotte-based R.J. Leeper have been selected for construction and CAA Icon serves as a consultant. City involvement is also key to the project.
What we're watching: It's been a busy season of change for the Hornets, starting with basketball legend Michael Jordan selling his majority stake in the team in June 2023 (he's still a minority owner).
- The Hornets have a new head coach , a new general manager and a new team president, plus their arena just completed the first round of major renovations.
- Team majority owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin said in a statement the practice facility is the next step in "building the premier franchise in NBA and operating world-class facilities."
- Now it's time to see if the product on the court will improve after these tweaks.
What's next: The Hornets open the regular season on the road at the Houston Rockets at 8pm on Oct. 23.
- They face the Miami Heat in their home opener on Oct. 26 at 7pm at Spectrum Center. Tickets start at $18.50.
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