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 Michael Jordan, 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 basketball 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 North Carolina, started the camp in friends ever since. the 1950s. (McKinney also played in When Jordan played for Dean Smith Lasting lessons the pros and went on to coach at Wake at North Carolina in the early 1980s, 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 charlotte Hornets’ Fred had some pretty good coaches, too, ing time with Jordan and his UNC whitfield has used his basketball camp including UCLA legend teammate Buzz Peterson John Wooden 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 Pete Maravich. 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 Steve Smith stopped by a couple of days Whitfield was attending law school earlier and, on Friday, Hornets All-Star at North Carolina Central in Durham. Kemba Walker 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 Center, 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 campersreceiveadictionarytohelpthemlearnvocabularywords. side of the rec center. The kids played together for years, but, by the mid-1980s, five of them michael Jordanheadlinedstar- northcarolinaandDukeas were dead, victims of drug overdoses studdedpickupgamesthat itsfoundation.jordan,atar and drive-by shootings. In short, bad wereanearlystapleofeach Heelsalum,wouldhavepast achievements Unlimitedcamp. decisions had led to the worst out- andpresent UNC playerson comes. histeam,whileseveralDuke “My thought was, how do I take a GuilfordHigh Schoolgym playerswouldbethefocal basketball camp — if my friends will and,later,atthe Universityof pointfortheotherteam.then help me start it — and use basketball north Carolina-Greensboro therosterswouldfilloutfrom as the hook and then tie in an anti- arenaaspartofthe Achieve- there. drug message and also have an edu- ments Unlimitedcamp. “thenotionthat I was10 cational piece?” Whitfield recalled. anyoneluckyenoughto feetaway,seeing Michaelin “Because the educational piece getinwouldseethemost hisprime[wascool],”said helped me get to where I had gotten famousplayerintheworld ned Cohen,assistant to by 1985.” — Jordan,oftenjustdaysor generalmanagerofthe weeksremovedfrom philadelphia76ersanda n n n n winningan NBA champion- Greensboronativewhogrew ship—playingwithand upattending Whitfield’s This past July, Whitfield, two days againstthelikesof Muggsy camps.“anythingwith into the 34th annual edition of the bogues,Dell Curry, Ron michaelwascompetitive, Achievements Unlimited camp, was Harperand Rodney Rogers, evenapickupgame.” talking about vocabulary words. amongmanyothers. thepickupgamesfaded Again. jordanhadalove-of-the- outinthelate1990s,andthe It was Thursday morning of camp gameclauseinhiscontract campshiftedto Charlottein week — same schedule every year, 8:30 allowinghimtoplaywhen- 2009,but Whitfieldstill a.m. start, 3:30 p.m. dismissal every everandwhereverhe bringsin NBA playersto day — and 200 boys and girls, ages 8 wanted.Fewothersdid. speak. Carmelo Anthonyand to 18, were gathered at the Carolina so, Whitfieldwouldfaxthe othershavecoachedinthe Courts indoor basketball center in the Gmsof NBA teamsseeking camp’s All-starGame. Charlotte suburb of Indian Trail. approvalforvariousplayers curry,a Jordancontempo- The day started with a panel discus- Rarefied Air at toparticipate. Inmostcases, raryandHornets TVanalyst, sion that highlighted Whitfield’s theanswerwasyes,returned hasbeeninvolvedin many connections in sports. pickup games withasignednoteof whitfield’scampasa “SportsCenter” anchor Jay Harris permission. speaker,celebritycoach, told campers about how he always As far aS we know, achievements Unlimitedisthe “iwouldn’tsignforallthe golferand,yearsago,inthe loved to tell stories, leading him into onlybasketballcampthatroutinelyfeaturedthe moneyintheworld,”whit- NBA pickupgame. Oneyear, broadcasting. Oris Stuart, the NBA’s mostpopular NBA playerofhisgenerationplaying fieldsaid,referringtowhathis currycoachedagroupof chief diversity and inclusion officer, anexhibitiongameagainstfellowprosforfree. responsewouldbeifaskedto campersagainstateam noted his place in pop culture his- Yes,Fred Whitfield’scampscoredamajorassist dothesamewithacurrent coachedbyson Steph,who tory — the basement of his childhood fromthe CharlotteHornetsexecutive’slifelong Hornetsplayer.(thepickup wasthenincollegeat home in Philadelphia is where Will friend,andcurrentboss, Michael Jordan.