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Home , Alonzo Mourning, Bones McKinney, Dell Curry, Michael Jordan, Rodney Rogers

Portfolio GIVING BACK

adopted hometown of Charlotte. The camp incorporates lessons he learned as a child at camp, and those passed on by Whitfield’s parents. Mix in All-Star-caliber friends, including , and it’s clear the camp is anything but ordinary.

n n n n Whitfield, the president and vice chairman of Whitfield’s parents allowed the Hornets, runs him to chase his the Achievements dreams, but they also drove Unlimited Camp home the importance of edu- in Charlotte each summer. cation. Both earned master’s degrees and provided an ex- ample that pushed Whitfield to make the honor roll and, eventu- ally, earn three degrees: bachelor’s, MBA and law. Whitfield did well on the court, too. He played college ball at Campbell, where he became all-conference and team MVP. During college summers, he worked as a counselor at the same camp he had attended through high school. During one stint as a counselor, Whitfield worked with a group of campers that included a rising high school senior from Wilmington named Michael Jordan. The two hit it off — Whitfield served as a momentary basketball mentor to Jordan after the camp before His Airness soared into history — and they’ve remained , started the camp in friends ever since. the 1950s. (McKinney also played in When Jordan played for Lasting lessons the pros and went on to coach at Wake at North Carolina in the early , Forest.) A week’s tuition, Whitfield Whitfield would drive from Buies recalls, cost $95, including room and Creek, where he was then a Campbell from camp board. assistant coach, over to Chapel Hill Whitfield and his fellow campers and watch the Tar Heels while spend- For 34 years, the ’ Fred had some pretty good coaches, too, ing time with Jordan and his UNC Whitfield has used his basketball camp including UCLA legend teammate and Press (now a Hornets assistant to guide youngsters on making the right Maravich, who coached at “My thought was, how GM). Jordan also worked decisions on and off the court. Clemson, LSU and N.C. do I take a basketball with Whitfield as a coun- State and was the father of camp — if my friends selor at the Campbell red Whitfield can’t wait to get to basketball camp. future star . camp during the sum- That’s the way Whitfield felt as an 8-year-old and it’s “Pistol Pete” came to Buies will help me start it — mers when he was play- F the same way he feels today, even though he has spent Creek, too, putting on drib- and use basketball ing at UNC. decades working with the biggest names in the NBA and is just bling and shooting clinics. as the hook and then Jordan, of course, a couple months shy of turning 60. What Whitfield, now the went on to become argu- Every summer during his childhood Whitfield’s president and vice chair- tie in an anti-drug ably the greatest player parents, Janol and Fred, loaded up the family man of the Charlotte Hor- message and also in NBA history. Whit- By Erik car and drove their basketball-loving son 85 miles nets, remembers all these have an educational field became a player spanberg down the road from Greensboro, N.C., to rural years later is how much fun piece?” agent and worked in Harnett County. Their destination: Buies Creek, he had playing basketball various roles at Nike home of Campbell University and a basketball all day, every day, a ritual (where MJ became a one- camp that from its inception grabbed the attention of top coach- interrupted only by sleep, meals and man industry), among other career es across the country and star players from nearby Atlantic Coast bus rides to the courts that campers moves. Conference schools. Those ACC players helped coach the kids used at area high schools. As a minority owner of the team at the camp and spent the rest of their time battling each other That eagerness to get to camp con- then known as the Charlotte Bobcats, in pickup games. tinues today for Whitfield, who now Jordan persuaded majority investor Each year, his parents dropped him off on a Sunday and re- runs Achievements Unlimited, an Robert Johnson to hire Whitfield to turned for him the following Friday — with nothing but basket- annual basketball camp started in run the franchise’s business side. In ball in between. Fred McCall, the Campbell basketball coach, his native Greensboro in 1985 and 2010, when Jordan bought a majority

and Bones McKinney, a former star player at both N.C. State and still going strong 34 years later in his stake in the team, he kept Whitfield All photos by Lavelle Productions

18 | September 17-23, 2018 www.sportsbusinessjournal.com S p o r t s B u s i n e ss J o u r n a l

as president, and the old friends technology, health care and other industries. worked together to bring back the The previous day, a local morning radio Hornets name and logo while wiping crew told the campers how much fun their away deficits accrued during John- jobs are and how much hard work it took son’s tenure. to get those positions. Retired NFL player Back in 1985, a twenty-something stopped by a couple of days Whitfield was attending law school earlier and, on Friday, Hornets All-Star at North Carolina Central in Durham. would drop in to finish the That’s when he decided that he had week. been to enough basketball camps to As for those vocabulary words, from that figure out how to create one of his first camp in 1985 in Greensboro, Whitfield own. He had plenty of inspiration to made dictionaries a first-day gift to every do so. camper. Each came with a list of vocabulary Whitfield grew up in a lower-middle- words, varying in difficulty by age, for camp- class neighborhood in Greensboro and ers to learn the definitions of and earn played in a rec league at the Windsor credit toward individual and team accolades Community Recreation , a during the week. Jordan and other celeb- 15-minute walk away. Many of his rity counselors and speakers have auto- teammates came from the rough-and- graphed the dictionaries in a nod to tumble housing projects on the other Continued on Page 20 Campers receive a dictionary to help them learn vocabulary words. side of the rec center. The kids played together for years, but, by the mid-1980s, five of them Michael Jordan headlined star- North Carolina and Duke as were dead, victims of drug overdoses studded pickup games that its foundation. Jordan, a Tar and drive-by shootings. In short, bad were an early staple of each Heels alum, would have past Achievements Unlimited camp. decisions had led to the worst out- and present UNC players on comes. his team, while several Duke “My thought was, how do I take a Guilford High School gym players would be the focal basketball camp — if my friends will and, later, at the University of for the other team. Then help me start it — and use basketball North Carolina-Greensboro the rosters would fill out from as the hook and then tie in an anti- arena as part of the Achieve- there. drug message and also have an edu- ments Unlimited camp. “The notion that I was 10 cational piece?” Whitfield recalled. Anyone lucky enough to feet away, seeing Michael in “Because the educational piece get in would see the most his prime [was cool],” said helped me get to where I had gotten famous player in the world Ned Cohen, assistant to by 1985.” — Jordan, often just days or general manager of the weeks removed from 76ers and a n n n n winning an NBA champion- Greensboro native who grew ship — playing with and up attending Whitfield’s This past July, Whitfield, two days against the likes of Muggsy camps. “Anything with into the 34th annual edition of the Bogues, , Ron Michael was competitive, Achievements Unlimited camp, was Harper and , even a pickup game.” talking about vocabulary words. among many others. The pickup games faded Again. Jordan had a love-of-the- out in the late , and the It was Thursday morning of camp game clause in his contract camp shifted to Charlotte in week — same schedule every year, 8:30 allowing him to play when- 2009, but Whitfield still a.m. start, 3:30 p.m. dismissal every ever and wherever he brings in NBA players to day — and 200 boys and girls, ages 8 wanted. Few others did. speak. and to 18, were gathered at the Carolina So, Whitfield would fax the others have coached in the Courts indoor basketball center in the GMs of NBA teams seeking camp’s All-Star Game. Charlotte suburb of Indian Trail. approval for various players Curry, a Jordan contempo- The day started with a panel discus- Rarefied Air at to participate. In most cases, rary and Hornets TV analyst, sion that highlighted Whitfield’s the answer was yes, returned has been involved in many connections in sports. pickup games with a signed note of Whitfield’s camp as a “SportsCenter” anchor Jay Harris permission. speaker, coach, told campers about how he always As far as we know, Achievements Unlimited is the “I wouldn’t sign for all the golfer and, years ago, in the loved to tell stories, leading him into only basketball camp that routinely featured the money in the world,” Whit- NBA pickup game. One year, broadcasting. Oris Stuart, the NBA’s most popular NBA player of his generation playing field said, referring to what his Curry coached a group of chief diversity and inclusion officer, an exhibition game against fellow pros for free. response would be if asked to campers against a team noted his place in pop culture his- Yes, Fred Whitfield’s camp scored a major do the same with a current coached by son Steph, who tory — the basement of his childhood from the Charlotte Hornets executive’s lifelong Hornets player. (The pickup was then in college at home in Philadelphia is where Will friend, and current boss, Michael Jordan. games occurred before Davidson. Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff met, a refer- Let’s pick up the story of the pickup games. Whitfield worked for a team.) Curry praises the camp ence that sailed right past the Gen Z Whitfield wonders aloud at the audacity of what The game was the finale to and Whitfield, but has one audience. He then explained how a became routine for a decade or so starting in the each camp. Only the campers minor gripe about those love of science and math led to an mid-1980s. Every year, a who’s who of NBA and and their parents could long-ago pickup games: electrical engineering degree, then Atlantic Coast Conference players would get togeth- attend the game, which, in “Everybody always felt an MBA and an executive role as a er soon after the NBA Finals ended, running and true North Carolina fashion, Michael stacked his side.” consultant on talent and diversity in gunning in high-scoring battles played at the West used the ACC rivalry between — E.S.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com September 17-23, 2018 | 1 9 Portfolio GIVING BACK

above: Some young campers go through a dribbling exercise. The camp hosts about 200 boys and girls ages 8 to 18. right: The Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker joins Whitfield for a selfie. far right: Campers study their vocabu- lary words. Learning the definitions earns them credit toward individual and team awards.

Continued from Page 19 Charities, backed by a celebrity golf tournament Achievements Unlimited education being every bit as important, if not more to raise money to pay for underprivileged children so, than anything that happens on the court. Jordan n Camps: 34 consecutive to attend the camp. Achievements Unlimited has a attended the first 28 camps. n 2018 campers: 200 website but otherwise doesn’t promote the camp. Before the Thursday panel started its discussion, n 2018 campers attending at no cost: 196 This year, out of 200 campers, only four who n Whitfield outlined the day ahead. And, since it was Campers served since 1985: 10,000 attended weren’t on HoopTee-backed scholarships. n HoopTee Celebrity Golf Classics: 16 late in the week, he put in a reminder about free- n HoopTee Hardwood Legends Dinners in New A handful of grandfathered campers still pay to throw competitions, All-Star selections and team York City: 5 attend, but otherwise the camp works with non- matchups. n NBA commissioners featured at those dinners: 2 profits to find children who are good candidates (, Adam Silver) “Unless you score 100 on your vocabulary test later n Grants distributed by HoopTee to N.C. nonprofits for scholarships. today, after lunch, you have no shot at being a cham- in 2018: $100,000 A companion sports dinner in New York has pion in this camp,” Whitfield said, pacing the floor further boosted the nonprofit. The most recent and pausing intermittently to admonish anyone HoopTee tax filing shows revenue of $400,000, cov- caught slouching or not paying attention. “You’ve Trumae Lucas was one of those kids who went ering expenses such as speaker and celebrity had since Monday to study. Make sure you know all to the camp when it was still in Greensboro. By the player travel, renting facilities and so on. The ac- of your words.” time she was in high school, Lucas had become the tual basketball camp costs $35,000 to $40,000 an- first female camper to play on the boys’ side. nually to stage. n n n n Lucas went on to a college career, first at Flor- In January, HoopTee donated $100,000 in grants ida and, later, Delaware, where her teammates to museums, camps and other charitable groups in Basketball Hall of Famer has included current WNBA star . Charlotte and Greensboro. known Whitfield dating back at least as far as Whit- For the past five years, Lucas has been a camp At 59, Whitfield sees no reason to slow down. field’s days signing and managing Eastern Confer- counselor at Achievements Unlimited, where some Jordan no longer attends, but he remains a staunch ence NBA endorsers for Nike in the mid- to late-1990s. of the coaches who taught her as a teen have be- supporter, lending his endorsement power ( He’s made multiple appearances at Achievements come colleagues as has been a camp supporter for 30 Unlimited. part of Whitfield’s years, while Nike’s Jordan Brand What stands out? “Handing each kid a diction- long-tenured coach- A nonprofit called supplies shirts, backpacks and ary,” said Mourning, who now runs player programs ing staff. HoopTee Charities other gear) and making sure his for the . “The impression [it made on Dictionaries and top executive has the time to run me] was amazing because of the growth of it and vocabulary tests al- now raises money to the camp year in and year out. its impact.” ways resonated pay for children to Whitfield, showing off Achieve- Impact is important. Remember the original goal? with Lucas at the ments Unlimited memorabilia Preach education, play basketball, cherish a healthy, camps as a kid. “It attend camp. from the days when he had a full drug-free lifestyle. was like [Whitfield] head of hair and a mustache, and Even after the camp relocated to Charlotte in was getting me ready for school,” she said. when Jordan was a skinny young Bull, 2009, the format stayed consistent. Anti-drug agents One thing that has changed with time is who at- savors the years of squeaking sneakers and mul- and advocates man a station as campers make their tends. At first, Whitfield placed newspaper ads to tiple generations of campers: “It is my favorite week way through various drills, meaning it’s a manda- promote the camp and, thanks to initial star power of the year.” tory on-court stop for everyone to hear about the supplied by Jordan and others, word of mouth perils of recreational drug use, addiction and other spread fast. Attendees were mostly affluent kids. Erik Spanberg writes for the Charlotte Business pitfalls. Whitfield eventually created a nonprofit, HoopTee Journal, an affiliated publication.

20 | September 17-23, 2018 www.sportsbusinessjournal.com