It's a slam dunk for Buzz City. The Charlotte Hornets are making progress on its state-of-the-art Novant Health Performance Center (NHPC), a practice facility expected to draw basketball fans and the public for years to come.

"What you're about to see is more than $150 million in investment in this community and in partnership with the city," explained Rick Schnall, Hornets Sports and Entertainment Co-Chairman, at the groundbreaking ceremony.

A group of people on a stage with shovels. — It was all smiles as construction kicked off for the Hornets' new practice facility. | Photo by CLTtoday

The early stages

In March 2024, the City of Charlotte approved $30 million for the project, with the Hornets covering exceeding costs and owning the new practice facility. The deal was part of a larger agreement that keeps the team in Charlotte through at least 2045. The Hornets broke ground on the facility one year later.

Can you picture yourself enjoying a Hornets practice here? | Rendering via Charlotte Hornets

Funded largely by the Hornets, the new building will boast more than 160,000 sqft of training and performance space, administrative offices, and retail space + the Novant Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Clinic, which will be open to the public. The site is also expected to have a public plaza on the corner of Caldwell and 5th streets.

“Following the first phase of our Re!magine Spectrum Center project, the new performance center is the next step as we work toward our vision of building the premier franchise in the NBA and operating world-class facilities,” said Schnall.

A person in a safety vest and hard hat standing at a construction site with two renderings next to him. — Hornets' Director of Basketball Facilities Alex MacKenzie started the tour at the entryway anticipated for the Performance Center. | Photo by CLTtoday

Summer progress

Following the placement of the building's final beam in May 2026, the Hornets are on track to complete the facility by spring 2027. Within its walls, professional athletes will see:

Two practice courts with motion-tracking technology
Medical and treatment areas
Hydrotherapy space
A larger locker room
A weight room that's three times bigger than that at the Spectrum Center

"This investment was $190 million of [chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin] knowing that we needed to have world-class facilities to be the best in the NBA, which is what we're striving to be," Shelly Cayette-Weston, Hornets' President of Business Operations, told CLTtoday.

Public-facing amenities include the orthopedic and sports medicine clinic + street-level retail space.

"We're going to be offering things, not just to the professional athletes, but to the public," said Dr. Sid Fletcher of Novant Health. "Whether you're an NBA player, a young athlete, or you're somebody who wants to get back to doing the things you love, we're going to provide that comprehensive care."

City investment in sports

Sports fans across the Queen City are not strangers to these types of upgrades. You may remember that the Carolina Panthers are getting a revamped practice facility + upgrades to Bank of America Stadium in the coming years.