Carolina Sports Medicine Center Opens 20,000 Sq. Ft. Facility in Charlotte

The Carolina Sports Medicine Center threw open its doors Thursday in Charlotte. The sprawling 20,000-square-foot space delivers injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance training. Athletes from beginners to pros can use it. The center has teamed up with SLAY Basketball, widening the pool of youth and pro athletes who can access these services.

Rob Taylor owns the sports medicine center. He said accessibility drove every decision. "What really was our guiding mission in the beginning was creating that pro facility, but yet making it accessible," Taylor said, according to WCNC. "So when they come here, they truly are going to get the best."

The building gathers resources from Atrium Health Architech Sports Rehab plus other providers in one spot, creating an all-in-one hub where treatment meets performance training — everything sits under one roof instead of scattered across town.

Tamar Slay used to play in the NBA. He started the basketball program. His reaction to the setup? Pure enthusiasm. "This is better than most college and NBA practice facilities," Slay said.

The partnership with the basketball organization hands young players something rare: direct access to sports medicine professionals, injury education, and recovery resources that most youth programs can't afford or don't offer.

Slay said the program drills discipline and character into kids alongside athletic skills. "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."

Taylor said the goal is simple yet ambitious: bring top-tier sports training and medical care to more households throughout Charlotte, not just the wealthy ones who can already afford private coaches and therapists. "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 center welcomes professional athletes, student-athletes, and youth programs. Leaders say the mission stretches past elite sports — it aims to support young athletes and families across the community, regardless of their current skill or income.

The basketball program hosted an open gym at the center on Saturday.