NBA Orlando Magic President Charlie Freeman Coaches HPU Students
Charlie Freeman, president of business operations for the NBA’s Orlando Magic and High Point University’s Sport Business Executive in Residence, recently shared career advice and encouraged HPU students to find their passion and not hesitate to chase a dream. He spoke to students in Congdon Hall’s Callicutt Life Skills Theater.
HIGH POINT, N.C., March 30, 2026 – Charlie Freeman, president of business operations for the NBA’s Orlando Magic and High Point University’s Sport Business Executive in Residence, recently shared career advice and encouraged HPU students to find their passion and not hesitate to chase a dream job.
He spoke about how his two internships in finance taught him that was not the career he wanted. He found the right fit during the second semester of his senior year in college, when he interned for the Magic.
“I fell in love with a job in sports, and here I am 30 years later, still working for the same organization,” Freeman said. “I don’t feel that I worked a day in my life.”
While on campus March 18 and 19, Freeman spoke to students in Congdon Hall’s Callicutt Life Skills Theater on the topic of “Motivation that Moves Teams Forward.” He explained how they can be team leaders and drive others toward being their best, how to keep going after losses and how the Magic’s positive culture keeps people inspired to win.
Freeman also shared dinner with student-athletes, had lunch with business and sports fellows, recorded a podcast and participated in a Q&A session on professional development in a sport management class.
Freeman said the following are crucial steps for businesses to create winning cultures:
- Establish a collaborative environment
- Create cross-functional teams
- Hire great people, empower them and extend trust
- Rank the organization first, department second and individual third
- Promote innovation and welcome change
- Recognize and reward your staff.
What Students Learned
Freeman said leaders can keep their teams motivated by adopting a one-goal mentality, remaining focused on what can be controlled, staying positive and celebrating small wins along the way to bigger goals. He participated in a Q&A with student moderator Grace King, a sophomore sport marketing major from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Here at High Point University, we take classes in leadership and learn about intrinsic motivation that goes hand-in-hand with leadership, so hearing him speak about leadership and putting that value out there as a leader was really inspiring to me,” said King, who is a Strickland LIFT fellow.
“I learned how teamwork has a big impact on how well people perform,” said Kate Ryan, a senior journalism major from Sparta, New Jersey. “People perform better when they have support along with motivation from either their boss or other people around them. I think this will help me when I’m stepping into the job community to be able to evaluate either where I can improve or how I can help my other co-workers get better.”
Christian Taber, a freshman business administration major, also learned from Freeman’s discussion the different ways that business principles affect teams.
“He really did a great job talking about things we have studied about the values of trust and networking connections for building autonomy among teammates,” said Taber, who is from Vestal, New York.
Freeman is one of several experts from the sports world who mentor students as part of HPU’s Access to Innovators program, including:
- Dallas Mavericks’ former CEO Cynt Marshall, HPU’s Sports Executive in Residence
- Retired Boston Globe sports columnist Bob Ryan, HPU’s Sports Reporter in Residence
- CBS Sports Producer Sellers Shy, HPU’s Network Television Producer in Residence
- TV Sports Host and Rinkside Reporter Lyndsay Rowley, HPU’s Alumni Sports Host in Residence