Charlotte Hornets’ Grant Williams runs basketball drills after practice at McAlister Fieldhouse, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Charleston. The Charlotte Hornets are holding training camp at The Citadel’s McAlister Field House all week.
Gavin McIntyre/Staff
“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.
Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball walks to the sideline after speaking with members of the press at McAlister Field House, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Charleston. The Charlotte Hornets are holding training camp at The Citadel’s McAlister Field House all week.
Gavin McIntyre/Staff
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.