Charlotte Hornets president and vice chairman resigns after 17 years. Here’s why.

A familiar face will no longer be standing in the Spectrum Center tunnel leading to the Charlotte Hornets locker room.

Fred Whitfield, the longtime top-level executive who oversaw the franchise’s re-emergence in Charlotte as the Bobcats, and whose tenure with the Hornets spanned multiple owners, announced Wednesday that he is stepping down as team president and vice chairman. Months after now-minority owner Michael Jordan sold a majority stake in the team to a group led by Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, Whitfield’s resignation closes another chapter in the Hornets’ front office structure.

Whitfield revealed that for the last 18 months, he successfully battled throat cancer while tending to another ailing relative — something that’s taken up a lot of his attention.

“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.”

“As these priorities have occupied more of my time and energy, I realized that now is the right time to leave my role with the Hornets, who are on a tremendous path to success with the energy and ideas brought by our new owners, Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin. I’m grateful to them for their support during this challenging time, and I also want to thank the prior ownership groups under the leadership of Bob Johnson and Michael Jordan for giving me such a tremendous opportunity.”

Whitfield’s tenure with the Bobcats, Hornets

Whitfield left his imprints all over the franchise during his decade-plus. He initially came on board under then-owner Bob Johnson with what was then Bobcats Sports & Entertainment in July 2006, serving as president & COO for 12 years before assuming the title of president & vice chairman in 2018.

Among Whitfield’s many notable accomplishments: spearheading the name change from Charlotte Bobcats to Charlotte Hornets in 2014, rebranding Spectrum Center in 2016 after naming rights partner Time Warner Cable’s merger with Charter Communications, and the launch of both the Greensboro Swarm in the NBA G League in 2016, and Hornets Venom GT in the NBA 2K League in 2020.

He also was instrumental in getting NBA commissioner Adam Silver to bring the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend to Charlotte after the league pulled the 2017 game out of the state due to the controversial HB2 bill.

“We thank Fred for all he has done for our organization and for the role he has played in helping get our ownership group up to speed over the last several months,” Schnall and Plotkin said in a statement. “His experience, knowledge and relationships in this industry, league and community have been invaluable to our franchise. We appreciate his hard work and dedication and wish him all the best.”

Spectrum Center’s lease agreement

One of Whitfield’s final moves was helping negotiate with the city to secure renovations to the arena and extend the franchise’s lease, ensuring the Hornets will be around for years to come. He also was instrumental in landing long-term agreements with Ticketmaster to serve as the arena’s ticketing provider and Live Nation to book entertainment, and simultaneously signed an arena naming rights deal with Time Warner Cable and a television broadcast rights deal with FOX Sports.

Along with the 2019 All-Star Game, the arena hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention, 2019 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Jumpman Invitational that debuted in December 2022, and multiple rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament In Whitfield’s days leading the franchise’s business operations.

His reach extended further than many people will ever know.

Last month, he received the North Carolina Award — the state’s highest civilian honor — and had the basketball court at Southeast Guilford High School named after him. The Greensboro native also founded HoopTee Charities Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships for disadvantaged youth, and established Achievements Unlimited Basketball School, which combines books and hoops and has benefited more than 15,000 kids in Greensboro and Charlotte over the past 30-plus years.

“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,” Whitfield said. “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.”