Alex Martins to step down as CEO

[drsd]

On the new team:

The Orlando Magic today announced a new leadership structure. Alex Martins, the team’s current Chief Executive Officer, will step into the newly created role of Vice Chair. In this position, Martins will act as a senior advisor to the Magic Board of Directors to advance long-term strategic initiatives and serve as a resource to Magic executives.

Charlie Freeman, President of Business Operations, will lead business efforts for the franchise. Entering his 30th season with the Magic, Freeman’s responsibilities will include oversight of personnel, ticket sales, global partnerships, arena operations, philanthropy, finance, human resources, communications, and broadcasting. Freeman will report directly to the Magic Board of Directors.

Magic Vice President Ryan DeVos, who has served as a Magic executive for the past eight years after nearly three years in the NBA League Office, will step into an expanded role as Managing Director, working closely with Charlie Freeman, Jeff Weltman, and the Magic Board of Directors. His work will include aligning the Magic organization with DeVos family values, deepening community and partner relationships, and helping shape strategy across basketball and business operations.

Cole DeVos will relocate to Orlando at the beginning of the 2025-2026 season to work more closely with the Magic organization where he will engage in a full-time management development program. He will build upon his experience working on a team responsible for creating and managing multiple Michigan-based sports franchises.

President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman will continue to oversee all basketball-related efforts, reporting directly to the Magic Board of Directors. The organization will not employ a CEO, the role previously held by Martins.

NBA.com Link: Orlando Magic Announce New Leadership Structure

[DiplomaticMagic]

So is this good?

[drsd]

So is this good?

Martins created enormace financial health for the Magic. But there is a younger generation of Devos family members that now what their own direction.
Good or bad; the button is being switched to a younger cohort of leaders.

[VFX]

Things just got a lot less greasy.

[AdamTheGreek]

So is this good?

Only time will tell.

This is the next step of the succession plan that will eventually see Ryan and Cole take control as heads of the franchise.

Martins has been very good to the Magic ownership group and board. He took over for Bob Vander Weide after his divorce.
He helped get the team very favorable arena and lands deals with the city and county.
He made the mistakes of having a heavy influence on hiring Rob Hennigan, and then later on Scott Skiles. Martins has not touched the basketball side of the house since hiring Jeff Weltman.
Martins is the face of the good and the bad.
There’s still no entertainment complex, downtown Orlando is a wasteland in large part because of the Magic.
The team has not done enough in the community considering the amount of money they’ve made and saved off us.
Our fanbase is way worse than it used to be decades ago. Because the team focused so much on selling expensive tickets and packages to tourists, that it’s left diehard fans behind.

[Optimus_Steel]

So is this good?

Only time will tell.

This is the next step of the succession plan that will eventually see Ryan and Cole take control as heads of the franchise.

Martins has been very good to the Magic ownership group and board. He took over for Bob Vander Weide after his divorce.
He helped get the team very favorable arena and lands deals with the city and county.
He made the mistakes of having a heavy influence on hiring Rob Hennigan, and then later on Scott Skiles. Martins has not touched the basketball side of the house since hiring Jeff Weltman.
Martins is the face of the good and the bad.
There’s still no entertainment complex, downtown Orlando is a wasteland in large part because of the Magic.
The team has not done enough in the community considering the amount of money they’ve made and saved off us.
Our fanbase is way worse than it used to be decades ago. Because the team focused so much on selling expensive tickets and packages to tourists, that it’s left diehard fans behind.

The family has plenty of money to build something, what's the hold up? Do they want to city to "help" them out?

[Bensational]

So is this good?

Only time will tell.

This is the next step of the succession plan that will eventually see Ryan and Cole take control as heads of the franchise.

Martins has been very good to the Magic ownership group and board. He took over for Bob Vander Weide after his divorce.
He helped get the team very favorable arena and lands deals with the city and county.
He made the mistakes of having a heavy influence on hiring Rob Hennigan, and then later on Scott Skiles. Martins has not touched the basketball side of the house since hiring Jeff Weltman.
Martins is the face of the good and the bad.
There’s still no entertainment complex, downtown Orlando is a wasteland in large part because of the Magic.
The team has not done enough in the community considering the amount of money they’ve made and saved off us.
Our fanbase is way worse than it used to be decades ago. Because the team focused so much on selling expensive tickets and packages to tourists, that it’s left diehard fans behind.

I saw Cuban talking on a podcast recently (post Luka trade) about selling the Mavs, and he mentioned how when he bought the Mavs and for the next decade plus it was all tech money buying up franchises. Now it’s large development groups, like the group that bought the Mavs, and they usually operate from a place of building out larger entertainment areas and facilities to maximise returns.

So what you say above in bold is interesting to me that they’ve neglected that side of the business when that’s the play most other ownership groups are making these days. Maybe this will see a pivot towards building more in downtown?

[three3d]

So is this good?

Only time will tell.

This is the next step of the succession plan that will eventually see Ryan and Cole take control as heads of the franchise.

Martins has been very good to the Magic ownership group and board. He took over for Bob Vander Weide after his divorce.
He helped get the team very favorable arena and lands deals with the city and county.
He made the mistakes of having a heavy influence on hiring Rob Hennigan, and then later on Scott Skiles. Martins has not touched the basketball side of the house since hiring Jeff Weltman.
Martins is the face of the good and the bad.
There’s still no entertainment complex, downtown Orlando is a wasteland in large part because of the Magic.
The team has not done enough in the community considering the amount of money they’ve made and saved off us.
Our fanbase is way worse than it used to be decades ago. Because the team focused so much on selling expensive tickets and packages to tourists, that it’s left diehard fans behind.

I saw Cuban talking on a podcast recently (post Luka trade) about selling the Mavs, and he mentioned how when he bought the Mavs and for the next decade plus it was all tech money buying up franchises. Now it’s large development groups, like the group that bought the Mavs, and they usually operate from a place of building out larger entertainment areas and facilities to maximise returns.

So what you say above in bold is interesting to me that they’ve neglected that side of the business when that’s the play most other ownership groups are making these days. Maybe this will see a pivot towards building more in downtown?

New $500M downtown Orlando sports, entertainment district gets green light


Not new news this was reported last year

“With today’s approval and the leadership of Mayor Dyer and City Council, we are looking forward to the next phase of the project and bringing the sports and entertainment district to life," said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. "We are thrilled to have JMA Ventures and

[Kent]

As far as I know, the sports and entertainment complex is still slated to break ground this year. Look, we want them to get that development right. If this delay was required, so be it.

Martins gets a bad rap around here, but in terms of the good and the bad, you definitely take the good.

Without Alex Martins, we may not have Kia Center and thus the Orlando Magic.

And make no bones about it, he will be in the Magic HoF one day.

Personally speaking, we should be thankful for him more than anything.

[jezzerinho]

Maybe Cole can promote Jett Howard to his personal assistant, seeing as he liked him so much.

[PrimeThyme]

Spoiler: