Alex Martins may miss every Magicgame next season for the first time in decades.
He may not even spend every day of the week in the AdventHealth Training Center.
This is due to the fact that Orlando unveiled a new leadership structure on Wednesday, which involves Martins, 61, resigning as CEO after 14 years and becoming the organization’s vice chair.
He smiled as he continued, “There will be a little bit more flexibility.” Although I won’t be here every day, I will be here frequently.
“It allows me a lot more freedom to pursue other interests, both personally and professionally,” he continued.
Martins will undoubtedly remain with the team, acting as a resource to team executives and a senior advisor to the Magic board of directors in order to further long-term strategic goals.
The Magic do not intend to hire a new chief executive officer. Charlie Freeman, Magic’s president of business operations, will instead oversee the franchise’s commercial endeavors. These modifications were initially reported by the Sentinel.
The franchise began discussing the restructure more than two years ago, according to Martins, even though it appeared to be an abrupt choice.
According to Martins, all successful businesses have preparations in place for the succession of their CEOs.
The third generation of the DeVos family’s ownership is also covered by that succession plan.
Cole DeVos will move to Orlando at the start of the 2025–26 season to work more closely with the team in a full-time management development program, while Ryan DeVos, vice president of shareholder engagement for the Magic, will take on an expanded position as managing director.
It’s a complete change. Martins stated that he would continue to serve as Orlando’s alternate governor on the NBA board of governors and that he would be available when they needed him.
Martins made it clear that the DeVos family has no intention of selling the franchise.
A group headed by billionaire Bill Chisholm agreed to pay $6.1 billion to acquire the Celtics earlier this year. The Buss family just agreed last week to sell billionaire Mark Walter the majority of the Lakers for a $10 billion franchise valuation.
When Magic chairman Dan DeVos addressed the organization’s workers late Tuesday with the new leadership structure, Martins said the first thing he addressed was the DeVos family’s refusal to sell the franchise.
Martins stated that he was extremely clear about that. For for than 30 years, this has been a treasured family possession for the DeVos family. This is about passing ownership to the third generation, who have truly embraced it, and they have no plans to sell. I think they will have this team for a very long time.
Freeman, who began working for the group as an intern in 1996, expressed his appreciation for the new chance.
Individuals like Alex and the DeVos family have mentored me, taught me the ropes, and trusted and believed in me. “I’m just very fortunate to be able to be here and to have grown up in this organization,” Freeman added.
The reorganization is merely the most recent action taken by the franchise to usher in a new Magic age. The Grizzlies signed guard Desmond Ban in a blockbuster deal shortly after Orlando announced its long-awaited rebranding three weeks ago.
According to Martins, the basketball division of our company is expanding and we are feeling as good about this team as we did when we last attended the NBA Finals in 2009. Our squad is prepared to contend for Eastern Conference titles and, ideally, an NBA title in the future.
There has never been a better moment on the basketball side in my entire term as CEO, and I am extremely sure that we will accomplish some amazing things in the coming years, he continued.
However, as his stint as Magic CEO draws to a close on July 1, Martins took stock of his whole tenure with the team, which he joined in 1989.
Martins, who oversaw the Magic’s construction of Kia Center, which debuted in 2010, remarked, “This has been the blessing of my life, aside from my family.” That’s a long time—31 years. However, I adore this company, I adore our ownership, and I adore my job there. I was therefore quite pleased to learn that the DeVoses had requested me to continue in my role as vice chair.
As a result, I get to stay and do more, use my thirty-one years of experience to help young executives advance their careers, and contribute to our future success. That excites and motivates me.
You can contact Jason Beede at [email protected].
