North Carolina is home to several professional sports teams across various leagues. Here’s a list:
Major League Professional Teams:
- National Football League (NFL):
- Carolina Panthers (Charlotte)
- National Basketball Association (NBA):
- Charlotte Hornets (Charlotte)
- National Hockey League (NHL):
- Carolina Hurricanes (Raleigh)
- Major League Soccer (MLS):
- Charlotte FC (Charlotte)
- National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL):
- North Carolina Courage (Cary/Raleigh)
- Premier Lacrosse League (PLL):
- Carolina Chaos (Charlotte)
- USL Super League:
- Carolina Ascent FC (Charlotte – started play in 2024)
Minor League and Other Professional Teams:
- Baseball (Minor League Baseball – MiLB & Independent):
- Charlotte Knights (Charlotte) – Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox
- Durham Bulls (Durham) – Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays
- Asheville Tourists (Asheville) – Advanced-A affiliate of the Houston Astros
- Greensboro Grasshoppers (Greensboro) – Advanced-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Winston-Salem Dash (Winston-Salem) – Advanced-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox
- Carolina Mudcats (Zebulon) – Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers
- Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Fayetteville) – Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros
- Hickory Crawdads (Hickory) – Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers
- Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Kannapolis) – Single-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox
- Gastonia Honey Hunters (Gastonia) – Independent (Atlantic League)
- High Point Rockers (High Point) – Independent (Atlantic League)
- Basketball (NBA G League):
- Greensboro Swarm (Greensboro) – Affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets
- Soccer (USL Championship & MLS Next Pro & USL League One):
- North Carolina FC (Cary) – USL Championship
- Charlotte Independence (Charlotte) – USL League One
- Crown Legacy FC (Matthews) – MLS Next Pro (Charlotte FC’s reserve team)
- Carolina Core FC (High Point) – MLS Next Pro
Former Teams:
- Charlotte Sting (WNBA) – disbanded in 2007.