IMG Academy to host NBA training camp

For the second year in a row, the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers will hold preseason training camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton. The six-day camp will run Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 to prepare the team for the 2025–2026 season.

“Returning to IMG Academy is a testament to the tremendous experience we had there last year,” Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman says in a statement.

In 2024, the Cavaliers became the first NBA team to hold training camp at the 600-acre Bradenton campus, which is also home to a boarding school for student-athletes.

“The overall engagement, both at the Bradenton facility and throughout that community, was an invaluable part of our preseason preparations,” Altman says. “Being on Florida’s Gulf Coast also provided an ideal backdrop for our team to focus, recharge and come together in ways that are hard to replicate outside of Cleveland. We look forward to another great training camp at IMG Academy and immersing ourselves into the vibrant cultural scene that Sarasota offers.”

IMG Academy features multiple basketball courts in addition to comprehensive strength and conditioning resources, according to the statement.

“The return of the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second consecutive year is a powerful reflection of the trust top organizations place in IMG Academy,” IMG Academy COO Mike Milliron says in a statement. “Our world-class campus provides the environment, expertise, staff and resources that are a perfect fit for the Cavs, and we can’t wait to welcome them back to our one-of-one destination ahead of their NBA season.”

Before coming to Bradenton in 2024, the last time the Cavaliers last held a remote training camp was during the 2004-2005 season at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.

Starting Sept. 30, the Cavaliers will hold practice at IMG Academy from 12 to 3 p.m. daily, with the exception of Oct. 4, which will be an off-day, according to a press release. Cleveland's four-game preseason schedule will start with an Oct. 7 matchup against the Chicago Bulls.