North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Thirteen months after breaking ground, the Charlotte Hornets marked a major construction milestone Monday with a topping off ceremony at the Novant Health Performance Center, as crews placed the final structural beam atop the team’s new practice and sports medicine facility in Uptown Charlotte.
The topping off ceremony brought together team leadership, city officials, health-care partners and construction crews, marking the placement of the final steel beam and the transition from structural framing to interior build-out.
Among those in attendance were co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson, head coach Charles Lee, forward Grant Williams, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, representatives from Gilbane Building Company and R.J. Leeper Construction, Novant Health officials, and hundreds of workers on site.
Schnall said the project reflects the organization’s long-term commitment to building a premier NBA franchise through infrastructure investment.
“Our goal is to build the best practice facility in the league,” he said. “This has been a labor of love for us and our whole staff.”
The project is being delivered by a joint venture between Gilbane Building Company and R.J. Leeper Construction, serving as construction manager on the state-of-the-art facility located across from Spectrum Center.
The event capped a project that began with a ceremonial groundbreaking led by Populous and the Hornets, formally launching construction alongside Hornets Sports & Entertainment ownership and leadership, the mayor of Charlotte, Novant Health representatives, and members of the design and project team, including Populous’ David Hodge, Ariel Shockley, Zac Braselton and Mary Abner.
At that time, stakeholders framed the development as a cornerstone investment in both athletic performance and downtown revitalization.
“As we break ground on the Novant Health Performance Center, we are not just constructing a building, we are laying the foundation for an exciting future,” said Jeff Peterson, Charlotte Hornets president of basketball operations.
Designed by Populous, the Novant Health Performance Center is intended to serve as a model for integrated athlete performance and wellness, emphasizing recovery and health off the court alongside on-court development.
The facility will include extensive medical and performance infrastructure, including physical therapy, hydrotherapy, nutrition services and sports science programming. In total, it will feature more than 100,000 square feet of practice, training and recovery space, including two full-size basketball courts.
It will also include approximately 35,000 square feet of administrative office space to house more than 250 staff across the organization’s business operations.
Populous has also incorporated community-facing elements into the design, including about 2,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space intended to activate the surrounding Uptown district. The project also includes a Novant Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine clinic that will be open to the public.
“The significant allocation of training, treatment, and recovery spaces in the Novant Health Performance Center is a great example of how the Charlotte Hornets are investing in their athletes to improve performance,” said David Hodge, senior principal and principal in charge at Populous. “Similarly, the ground level public spaces around the facility reflect the team’s commitment to revitalizing the surrounding neighborhood.”
Cutting-edge technology and high-performance equipment will define the building once complete, with the Novant Health Performance Center expected to open during the 2026–27 NBA season.