Hornets Hold Annual Tip-Off Tour, Spend Time in the Community Ahead of Season Opener

The Charlotte Hornets' annual Tip-Off Tour took place on Monday with stops throughout the Carolinas in an effort to show appreciation for the community that supports the organization throughout the season.

The team made one very special stop at Thompson Child & Family Focus.

Hornets Tip-Off Tour at Thompson — Ashley Stroehlein

Thompson is a nonprofit that is dedicated to transforming lives by focusing on Prevention, Mental Health, and Foster Care.

Ty Bouges leads drills during basketball clinic — Ashley Stroehlein

The purpose of this stop was to hold an hour-long basketball clinic that allowed Hornets players to spend time with the children at Thompson, teaching them basic fundamental basketball skills, while also showing support.

Coby White and Ryan Kalkbrenner — Ashley Stroehlein

Royce O’Neale, Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Tidjane Salaun, Coby White, Kylan Boswell, Dennis Schröder, and Sion James were all in attendance for this event.

Hornets Tip-Off Tour — Ashley Stroehlein

Sion James shared that it was important for the team to spend time in the community that supports them ahead of the season.

"We love getting to be able to do stuff like this," Sion James said. "We're out here at Thompson today, hanging with their students, hanging with their kids, and just playing basketball, having a good time. This is the game that brings us so much joy, so it's really fun and cool seeing that we're able to bring the kids so much joy, too."

Kon Knueppel and Sion James at Hornets Tip-Off Tour — Ashley Stroehlein

The Hornets made the stop at Thompson 48 hours before they begin their 2026-27 season in Brooklyn against the Nets on Wednesday.

"I think they really go hand in hand because this is the community that supports us, the community that comes to our games, that makes being a Charlotte Hornet mean something," James explained. "A lot of times they come to Spectrum and hang out with us, and now we get to come to Thompson today and hang out with them. So it's just a little bit of balance, and like I said, we have a great time doing it."

The Hornets have always done a great job of getting involved with the community over the years, and this group in particular really seems to enjoy giving back.

Tonight, the Hornets will officially open the lid on the 2026-27 season against the Brooklyn Nets, which will be televised on WSOC Channel 9. The team will return to the Queen City on Thursday to gear up for their home opener on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m.

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