The city of Charleston, South Carolina, welcomed NBA fans to a preview of the 2025-2026 NBA season, as the Charlotte Hornets faced the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, at the North Charleston Coliseum on Oct. 5, 2025.  

Facing a tough opponent in the Thunder, the Hornets opted to play the majority of their active roster, led by all-star guard LaMelo Ball. Although holding training camp at the Citadel for five days, the Hornets struggled to keep up with the competition, losing to the Thunder by a score of 135-114. Along with some players having positive performances, like the fourth overall 2025 draft pick, Kon Knueppel, with 18 points on 46% shooting from the field goal in a little over 23 minutes, Charlotte showed their flaws, having 17 turnovers as a team. 

For Oklahoma City, they showed why they are the reigning champions of the NBA. Even with a total of eight players being ruled out, including reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, due to rest, and All-NBA third team forward Jalen Williams, due to recovering from a torn ligament in his wrist, the Thunder still put on a memorable performance. This win was led by Oklahoma’s Aaron Wiggins, putting up 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting. He also contributed to the playmaking aspect of the game, getting six assists. With a bench rotation as dangerous as the Thunders’ being given the ability to showcase how deep their roster is, the potential to do what they did in the 2024-2025 season again is rising.