This letter is in response to the column “The character of Rick Welts” in the April 9 issue of SBJ.
I thought the article you wrote about Rick Welts’ selection to the Naismith Hall of Fame was fantastic and right on point. As you probably know, Rick is one of my closest friends in the NBA and has been a personal mentor of mine since I accepted my role here in Charlotte in July of 2006. He has always been very helpful in lending advice and counsel, but, more importantly has been there to provide encouragement when we suffered through our toughest times here at the Bobcats/Hornets.
Welts at the 2016 Sports Business Awards, accepting for Team of the Year.marc bryan-brown
As you may not know, he was someone that I not only leaned on heavily for advice, but also to speak directly with Gov. [Roy] Cooper and his advisers as we were making every effort to get HB2 repealed and get our organization’s business and our state’s economic outlook back on track. He was quietly a phenomenal partner in all our efforts by assisting me in working closely with our political leaders in Raleigh to get things finalized in this regard. I was honored when Scott O’Neil asked me to write a letter to the Hall in support of Rick’s nomination and absolutely thrilled that he will receive this well-deserved honor. Thank you for writing such a great article that recognized and highlighted what an icon he has been in our business and how he has been invaluable to many like me.
Fred Whitfield
Charlotte Hornets
