For more than a decade, the city of Charleston has been one of the top destinations for tourists across the globe.
Charleston has also become the destination of choice for another demographic as well — professional sports franchises.
For the fourth straight year, an NBA team has descended upon the Lowcountry for its preseason training camp.
The Charlotte Hornets, who have played a pair of exhibition games in the Lowcountry since 2009, will spend the rest of the week in Charleston, working out at The Citadel’s McAlister Field House in preparation for the 2025-26 NBA season.
In 2022, the Philadelphia 76ers worked out at The Citadel for a week before the start of the regular season, while the New York Knicks held back-to-back training camps at the downtown military school in 2023-24.
But unlike the Knicks and 76ers, the Hornets will remain in town through the weekend culminating with a preseason game on Oct. 5 against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder at the North Charleston Coliseum.
The Hornets open their NBA campaign on Oct. 22 against the Brooklyn Nets in Charlotte.
“I was a part of that selection process, and I was ecstatic when I heard we were coming to Charleston,” said Charlotte Hornets coach Charles Lee. “We’re based in Charlotte, but I think it’s important that we kind of reach all of our fanbase throughout the Carolinas.
“The food scene is also amazing here, and I knew we’d get some great meals. The Citadel has done a great job of opening their doors to us and allowing us to use their beautiful facility. It helped us set a tone for our first day of training camp.”
Despite Charleston being more than 200 miles from the closest NFL or NBA franchise, the Hornets are one of several professional franchises that have come to the Holy City in recent years, not only for its history and food scene, but for practices and team bonding, as well.
“It’s really important for this team to bond together, and getting away from Charlotte can be a good way to do that,” Lee said. “When we’re at home, we leave the gym and head back to your own families and your own house. While we’re here, we will head back to the hotel, bunker down with each other a little bit more, and I think that really helps with the camaraderie of the team.”
A sentiment shared by Hornets forward Brandon Miller, the Hornets’ No. 2 overall pick in 2023.
“I think it’s a great thing to get away and bond as a team,” Miller said. “We’re not going to be in Charlotte every day, so have this atmosphere in another city, in another state, is only going to help us. It’s better for us to see new things.”
The flood of pro teams that have come to Charleston began in the 1990s with the Knicks. With Pat Riley as their head coach, New York would come to the Lowcountry — practicing at College of Charleston — for part of their preseason camp.
The NBA isn’t the only professional sports league to use Charleston as a training base.
The NHL’s St. Louis Blues worked at the Carolina Ice Palace and North Charleston Coliseum twice — once in 2013, then again in 2022.
In 2008, the Phoenix Coyotes, coached by Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, spent two days in the Lowcountry while Super Bowl XLII was being held in Arizona.
The Buffalo Sabres held their preseason camp in the Lowcountry in the early 2000s.
Even the NFL has gotten into the act as Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has worked out with Citadel wide receivers while his family was vacationing on Isle of Palms for the last couple of summers.
The Hornets paid The Citadel $25,000 to practice at McAlister Field House.
“It’s great for our players and our staff to see how they go about their craft,” said The Citadel basketball coach Ed Conroy. “Philadelphia, New York and Charlotte have all enjoyed coming down here, mainly because the city of Charleston is an unbelievable spot for them.