Carolina Sports Medicine Center opens, bringing elite training and care under one roof

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A major expansion in youth and elite sports training is coming to Charlotte with the opening of the Carolina Sports Medicine Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to serve athletes at every level.

The center opens Thursday and promises advanced care ranging from injury prevention and rehabilitation to performance training — all aimed at keeping athletes healthy and out of the operating room.

While built to professional standards, leaders say the center’s mission extends far beyond elite sports, with a focus on supporting young athletes and families across the community.

“This is better than most college and NBA practice facilities,” Tamar Slay, a former NBA player and founder of SLAY Basketball, said

The 20,000 square foot facility brings together high quality treatment, rehabilitation and performance resources, serving professional athletes, student-athletes and youth programs alike.

Rob Taylor, owner of the Carolina Sports Medicine Center, said accessibility was a guiding principle from the start.

“What really was our guiding mission in the beginning was creating that pro facility, but yet making it accessible,” Taylor said. “So when they come here, they truly are going to get the best.”

The center combines resources from Atrium Health Architech Sports Rehab and other sports medicine providers, creating what organizers describe as a collaborative, all-in-one approach to athlete care.

One partnership already drawing attention is the center’s collaboration with SLAY Basketball, a program focused on developing young athletes both on and off the court. Through the partnership, players gain access to sports medicine professionals, injury education and recovery resources — services often unavailable at the youth level.

Slay said the program emphasizes discipline and character development alongside athletic performance.

“We want athletes that know what working hard and playing hard is about, and being a good teammate,” Slay said. “But we also want those lessons to transfer into their schoolwork, how they treat others as they get older, and how they carry themselves in life.”

Organizers say the goal is to bridge the gap, bringing top-level sports training and medical care to more households, not just elite athletes.

“This is truly about bringing everyone together under one roof and collaborating for the benefit of the patient and the athlete,” Taylor said. “When you find coordinated care at a young level that they get at the professional level, we truly believe it’s going to be a game changer.”

The Carolina Sports Medicine Center will hold its grand opening Thursday. SLAY Basketball is scheduled to host an open gym at the facility on Saturday.

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