Fred Whitfield

Company: Bobcats Sports & Entertainment

Position: President and Chief Operating Officer

Industry: Sports

Country: United States

Fred A. Whitfield was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Bobcats Sports & Entertainment in July of 2006. In his role, Whitfield will oversee all business operations for the Charlotte Bobcats, Charlotte Sting and Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Whitfield brings a portfolio that includes Brand Jordan, a division of Nike, Inc., Nike, Inc., Falk Associates Management Enterprises (F.A.M.E.), Achievements Unlimited Basketball School, FBR HoopTee Celebrity Golf Classic and the Washington Wizards.

Whitfield most recently served as Director of Business and Legal Affairs for Brand Jordan, where he managed endorsements and sports marketing strategy and execution for the elite division of Nike. Brand Jordan's clients include some of the top athletes in professional sports, including Ray Allen, Carmelo Anthony, Marvin Harrison, Richard Hamilton, Derek Jeter and Roy Jones, Jr.

From 2000-03, he had his first tenure with an NBA team as Whitfield served as Director of Player Personnel and Assistant Legal Counsel for the Washington Wizards. While there he was responsible for the team's salary cap administration and contractual issues. Prior to that position, Whitfield served as director of player development for Nike Basketball, where he was responsible for negotiating endorsement contracts and overseeing all business relationships for over 150 NBA players. His start in sports began with F.A.M.E. - one of the industry's most prestigious sports management firms - as Director of the Carolinas Region, during which time he lived in Charlotte.

True to his Carolina roots, the Southeast Guilford High School graduate is the Founder and Director of Achievements Unlimited Basketball School, a camp in Greensboro started in 1985 that combines teaching of fundamental basketball skills and stressing the importance of academics and living a life free of substance abuse. Annually numerous sports celebrities visit, including Michael Jordan, Linda Cohn, Stuart Scott, Carmelo Anthony, Muggsy Bogues, Alonzo Mourning, Dell Curry, and Grant Hill.

A 1980 graduate of Campbell University, Whitfield was an all-conference basketball player and entered the school's Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He earned a B.B.A. degree in Economics and then completed his M.B.A. at Campbell in marketing while serving as Assistant Basketball Coach for the Camels. From there, he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from North Carolina Central School of Law where he served as Student Bar Associate President. He established a private law practice in Greensboro prior to joining F.A.M.E.