from WCNC Charlotte and CLICK HERE for the post…..
Fred Whitfield announces exit from Hornets to focus on health, family
Fred Whitfield is leaving the Hornets after spending over 17 years as president of Charlotte’s basketball franchise.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Hornets President and Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield announced he is leaving the franchise Wednesday to focus on his health and family after spending nearly 20 years with the organization.
“For the past 17 and a half years I have had the privilege of representing the Charlotte Hornets as president and vice chairman, and ultimately minority owner,” Whitfield said in a statement. “But the time has come for me to step away and focus on my health and my family.”
Whitfield said he’s successfully battled a serious case of throat cancer for the last 18 months. He’s also been supporting his mother, who is facing several health issues. Whitfield said stepping down was necessary as he can’t give the Hornets the adequate attention.
Whitfield joined what was then the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006. He served as president and COO for 12 years before assuming the role of president and vice chairman in 2018. He oversaw the transition from the Bobcats name to Hornets and was instrumental in bringing the NBA All-Star Game to Charlotte. Whitfield also helped launch the Greensboro Swarm G League team and the Hornets Venom GT in the NBA 2K League.
“I’d also like to thank NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and his predecessor, the late David Stern, for their unwavering support of our organization and me personally,” Whitfield said. “During my tenure with the Hornets, we always focused on meeting the needs of all the communities we serve – the NBA, the players, coaches and staff, the fans and the rest of the Charlotte region. I know that focus will continue, and I look forward to being involved in a variety of efforts to improve the Charlotte community while cheering on the Hornets from the stands.”
from GreensboroSports.com:
*********The basketball court was named in Fred Whitfield’s honor last Friday night at Southeast Guilford High School…Fred played high school basketball for the SEG Falcons during his high school days, and played college basketball for UNCG and for the Campbell Camels…Fred used to work the Campbell College Summer Basketball Camps back when John Wooden was a guest coach at the camps, and Pete Maravich was there every year…Fred worked as a camp counselor and helped out this one kid from Wilmington named Mike…
Mike got cut from his high school team at Wilmington Laney, but Mike stayed on as the manager for the team, and he kept working on his game, with help from Fred Whitfield and others, and before you knew it, Mike became a pretty good basketball player for the legendary coach Dean Smith, at the University of North Carolina…Mike did so good, he decided to change his name to Michael, and as he improved more and more, Michael made it to the NBA and he played for NBA Championship teams with the Chicago Bulls…They called him Mike, then they called him Michael, but for Fred Whitfield, he and Mike just always called each friends, Fred Whitfield and Michael Jordan….
Fred made his mark with Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets front office….He also did tons of community work, in and around Charlotte….Back when Fred was living in Greensboro, and I was working for the WKEW 1400 AM radio station, we had a charity basketball game, to raise funds for Crimestoppers…Harold Moag was the Crimestoppers public relations leader, and got me to get up a team from WKEW for the Crimestoppers mini-tournament…Many thought WKEW was a station for the older folks set, but when we set foot on that Guilford College basketball court inside Ragan-Brown Field House for the games, we had Fred Whitfield on our team…We also had Randy Doss, Janet Jones’ husband, I found a guy who used to play for Cleveland State, and we had EARL…Earl was the boyfriend of the WKEW radio station secretary Vickie Rodriguez, and Earl was the Earl from the movie Cornbread, Earl, and Me…Earl could fly…
With the help of Fred Whitfield, we destroyed WFMY TV 2 in Game One of the tournament, and then we lost by a close margin to 102 JAMZZ in the Championship Game….We had Fred, Cornbread, Earl, and Me, and we did OK….
Fred ran the AU/Achievements Unlimited Summer Basketball Camps for years here in Greensboro, and then later on down in Charlotte…Mike/Michael Jordan used to play in what they called the Celebrity Game, or “The Greatest Pickup Game in the World”…They used to play it every year out at Western Guilford High School, in my old gym…One year they invited me to play in the game, and I brought my stuff out there, and then I began to see who all was in that game..Michael Jordan, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Morgan from Virginia, Ralph Sampson, Randolph Childress, Rodney Rogers, Jeff Denny and Jeff was one of the few slow white boys in this mix, and when I saw the lineup, I decided it might be better for all involved, and especially me, if I just sat this one out….
Just a small sample size of what all Fred was doing…And they used to have a golf tournament during the week of the basketball camp too, and they would always have a big group meal, with plenty of expensive cigars on Thursday night, over at Cafe Pasta on State Street, that Great Street…
Wow, tons of memories on the Fred Whitfield plate, and his time is not getting late, but he is not feeling that great these days…We wish Fred the best, as takes it all, on down the road….**********