Grizzlies, Hawks Bring NBA Training Camps to Nashville

Usually Nashville has no NBA team. This week, the city has two. Belmont University is hosting the up-and-coming Memphis Grizzlies while the Atlanta Hawks, a playoff team with championship aspirations, are set up at Vanderbilt’s new Huber Center. Players and coaches have praised both practice facilities — home to the city’s two top NCAA programs — and described the twofold value of camps for preseason bonding and game-speed scrimmages. 

“ We're really grateful to [Vanderbilt basketball coach Mark Byington] and his staff for having us here, it's a great setup,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder told reporters on Tuesday. “Being away, for our guys, particularly because we've been in Atlanta for a few weeks, it's a good opportunity to really just be around each other. The guys will go out to eat, and we'll schedule some stuff, then leave them alone and let that bonding happen organically for the most part.”

The Hawks and Grizzlies will face each other in a preseason opener on Oct. 5. The NBA regular season begins two weeks later. College ball returns in early November, and Nashville fans can expect another competitive season from top-ranked Vanderbilt — especially on the women’s side, led by superstar junior Mikayla Blakes — and Tennessee. Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr. and former Vol Jahmai Mashack, both Grizzlies, are the only familiar NCAA faces on either roster.

Evan Bradds, a 2017 Belmont grad, will try to bring the Bruins back to national contention in his first year as head coach. After an All-American college career, Bradds did successful coaching stints in the NBA and at Duke, where he worked with Grizzlies rookie Cam Boozer. Training camp reunited the two.

“ I was just telling Brad, you know, to have a facility this nice at this level is a blessing for sure,” Boozer told media after the Grizzlies’ Tuesday evening practice. “I'm excited to be here.”

Boozer — whose dad Carlos was an all-star with the Utah Jazz — brings great athleticism and a high game IQ, already giving Memphis fans a lot to get excited about. At 6-foot-9, he’s one of the team’s sharpest passers, embodying a new generation in a league that increasingly prizes versatility.

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“I think if you're not a [center], you're a wing in today's game,” Boozer told the Scene. “Basketball's very positionless, and it’s very hard to find a role. At the end of the day, I feel like there's fives and then there's everyone else, you know? Guys like [Jayson] Tatum, big 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-9 guys play point guard. I don't think you can really define positions anymore.”

Last season, the Grizzlies lost lots of games and three fan favorites in Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane. This year the team will build around a young core led by Boozer, his fellow first-round draft pick Karim Lopez, franchise big man Zach Edey and all-rookie selection Cedric Coward. To help, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman — a former NBA Executive of the Year — brought in several capable role players from across the league, including sharpshooting point guard Ty Jerome, Dutch big man Quinten Post, affable defender Isaiah Stewart, and veteran scorer (and 2020 Olympic gold medalist) Jerami Grant, the team's highest-paid player. Still, Tennessee’s only NBA team is somewhat in the wilderness. 

Vibes were much higher at Vanderbilt, where the Hawks have title aspirations in the stacked Eastern Conference. The red-hot Knicks ended the Hawks’ 2026 run in the first round of the playoffs, though Atlanta found a formula late last season after the February trade deadline.

Players say CJ McCollum has a plan for team bonding in Nashville, though they won’t give specifics. Rookie Kingston Flemings has some family ties to the area, and Luguentz Dort — a recent Hawks acquisition from the Oklahoma City Thunder — asked the Scene for a hot chicken recommendation. When asked about local NBA loyalties, Dort pitched Nashville on the Hawks. 

"Definitely cheer for us," Dort tells the Scene. "I mean, I won't say anything about the Grizzlies, but we're working hard and chasing something really big. We'll keep getting better throughout the whole season and obviously make it entertaining."

For now, Nashvillians can keep an eye out for their favorite regional NBA stars. Grizzlies practices run through Thursday at Belmont’s Crockett Center. The Hawks are at Vanderbilt until Friday.