Alex Martins spent 35 years building the Orlando Magic into one of the most respected organizations in professional sports. Now a Hall of Famer, he sits down with Tom Ruggie to talk leadership, legacy, and what it means to build something that outlasts you.
Alex Martins joined the Orlando Magic in 1989 as the franchise's very first director of publicity, before the team had played a single game. Over the next 35 years, he rose through the organization to become CEO, a role he held for 14 years, before stepping back and being inducted as the 14th member of the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame in March 2026.
In this conversation with host Tom Ruggie, a fellow member of the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation Board, Alex reflects on what it actually takes to build something that outlasts you. He talks about the leadership philosophy Rich DeVos instilled in him, the career pivots that sharpened his instincts, and what comes next: mentoring young leaders, pursuing corporate board service, exploring private investing, and writing a book on leadership principles from professional sports.
In this episode:
- - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIBE TO SIGNIFICANCE OF WEALTH
Subscribe to Significance of Wealth for more content that explores wealth management, private investing, and passion assets through conversations with exceptional people who have built something worth protecting.
FOLLOW & CONNECTÂ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/significance-of-wealth-podcast-destiny-family-office/
Website: https://destinyfamilyoffice.com
Martie Salt: Welcome to the Significance of Wealth Podcast, where we explore the evolving landscape of wealth management, private investments, and collecting as both a passion and investment strategy. I'm Martie Salt, and today's guest is Alex Martins, one of the most accomplished sports executives in the country.
Martie Salt: Alex joined the Orlando Magic in 1989 as the franchise's very first director of publicity and media relations before the team had ever played a game. He rose over the course of his career to become CEO, a role he held for 14 years. He currently serves as vice chair and alternate governor of the organization, and in March of this year was inducted as the 14th member of the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
Martie Salt: In this episode, Alex sits down with host Tom Ruggie, a fellow member of the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation Board, to talk about what it takes to build something that outlasts you. They cover the leadership lessons Alex carried across nearly four decades in professional sports, and what he's focused on in his next chapter, from mentoring the next generation of leaders to exploring new opportunities in investing and corporate board service.
Martie Salt: Now here's your host, Tom Ruggie.
Tom Ruggie: Good day, everybody, and welcome to, the Significance of Wealth podcast. Today I've got with me a good friend of mine, Alex Martins,
Tom Ruggie: Alex, welcome s- to the show
Alex Martins: For having me, Tom. Great to be here
Tom Ruggie: Yeah. Yeah, my pleasure. All right, so we'll get going. So, Alex, so before the Orlando Magic ever even played a single game, you joined the team. I'd love to hear a little bit about the beginning, kind of the professional beginning and what led you u- initially to the Orlando Magic, and ultimately what was it like building a franchise from the floor up?
Alex Martins: Well, you know, when I got started in, in college, I never expected to work in the sports industry to begin with. I went to Villanova, and I went to the business school there and thought that I'd be working on Wall Street or, uh, maybe doing something along the lines that you do, Tom. But,
Tom Ruggie: You, you would probably be g- very good at it.
Alex Martins: I don't know. I don't know about that. But um, a job as a student in the athletic department, you know, just to make a few dollars on the side as, you know, I was getting through school. And they assigned me to, sports information and office in the basketball department. And long story short, uh, in my junior year, the basketball team won the national championship. And as I went through that entire process, you know, it was so exciting of course. We were major underdogs. No one ever expected Villanova to win the national championship at that time under Rollie Massimino. And, I, I just had the thrill of a lifetime, you know, going through that whole experience, through, you know, the NCAA brackets.
Alex Martins: And, you know, we, we started in Dayton and went to, Birmingham and ultimately, played the national championship Final Four in, at Rupp Arena. And the end of that process, I said to myself, "Wow, you know, you can really make a career doing this." and I, I'd started talking to the folks that I worked with, in department there at Villanova and, you know, determined that, you know, I wanted to pursue a career in sports. And, so immediately after graduating from Villanova, ended up happening was the people who-- one of the people that I had worked for moved on to, become the director of public relations for the Philadelphia 76ers, and he offered me an internship right out of, out of college, and I did that for about a year. and then got my first full-time job in sports, at Georgetown University, working in their sports information office, with the basketball program. John Thompson, the legendary coach at the time, worked with him, very closely with him. And only after a year of being there, Dave Koski, you know, who I'd worked for at Villanova and then interned for at the 76ers, me and said, "Hey, you know, Pat Williams," who was our general manager at the time, at, at 76ers when I was an intern, "went down to Florida and, he left the Sixers to pursue a new expansion franchise for the NBA, and he was successful, and he's starting to put his staff together, and he asked me for, you know, a few recommendations of people to interview and, just wanna make sure that you're okay with me giving you, him your name."
Alex Martins: And, he did. I did. And, and we went through the interview process. And long story short, you know, I first PR director of the Magic back in 1989. in April, the year or the, the year of, you know, that first season, when we started, you know, in November, and it's, it all started from there. real small staff, a lot different than we are today.
Tom Ruggie: Right
Alex Martins: 30 people total. and of
Tom Ruggie: And, and where are you today?
Alex Martins: over three- Yeah, The Magic employ over 300 employees today, full-time. You know, add another 1,800 or so part-time employees,
Tom Ruggie: Oof
Alex Martins: and that'll give you some sense of how the NBA business has changed, you know, in the last 35-plus years
Tom Ruggie: crazy. What I, what I find interesting about your path is, you know, you mentioned that you potentially could have been in the same field as, as I was. And, and candidly, if I'd had a similar path to you, I probably could have gone the same direction that you went. So pretty... I fi- I find that to be pretty ironic.
Alex Martins: Yeah
Tom Ruggie: but then you left the Magic. You, you left the Magic, I think, in the, in the late '90s, and, you went and worked for, what, the Charlotte Hornets for a bit, and, Cleveland Browns, and then you came back to Orlando and worked for Tavistock. So i- in the years away from the team, I think you came back in '05, is that correct?
Alex Martins: Great,
Tom Ruggie: what,
Alex Martins: too
Tom Ruggie: what, what did you learn in between and, and ultimately what brought you back to Orlando?
Alex Martins: You know, it was a great learning experience because, you know, having been with only one franchise in my career, the Magic, for those 10 years, I only knew that the way that the Magic did it and the way that the Magic operated. And, I, first of all, you know, I Didn't have any intent on leaving the Magic, but I also wanted to learn more about the industry. And one person that I had always looked up to afar, didn't know him at all, but, you know, was regarded as one of the best in all of sports, during his career and still to this day, was Carmen Policy. And Carmen was, longtime CEO of the San Francisco 49ers, won five Super Bowl championships, you know, while he was the CEO there. And Carmen, had left the 49ers and was now, minority owner and CEO of the Cleveland Browns as they got restarted. you know, of course, the Browns moved from Cleveland to Baltimore, and after a few years, the NFL granted an expansion franchise back to Cleveland, and Carmen was the first CEO and, and was minority partner with, with Al Lerner, who was the owner at the time. And so through a recruitment firm, I was asked to interview, for a position, you know, with the Browns. And knowing that Carmen was the CEO, you know, I jumped on it, you know, because I, I'd always looked up to him. And we hit it off right away. He hired me, and learned a lot from, you know, Carmen in the very short two years, you know, that, that I was there with the Browns. you know, certainly brought a lot back to me ultimately when I came back to the Orlando Magic. but as I was going through that process, the one thing that Carmen and some others had suggested to me at the time, I truly wanted to rise to the level of, you know, operating an organization, becoming a CEO in sports, a lot of people, including Carmen, suggested that I get my MBA so after the first two seasons there in, in Cleveland, left and came back to Central Florida and, and went to UCF and got my MBA. And immediately after graduating, the Charlotte Hornets called and they were, going through a process of attempting to move from Charlotte to New Orleans. And, they wanted me to spearhead, the campaign in New Orleans to get all the support needed and necessary in order to gain the approval of the NBA to move from Charlotte to New Orleans. And so for, you know, the better part of a year, you know, I was charged with, you know, that campaign, trying to get corporate partners, trying to get season ticket deposits, trying to get, you know, community engagement and, and ultimately community support. And ultimately we d- we were successful and the, the Hornets, gained the approval of the NBA to, to move to Charlotte.
Alex Martins: And, I stayed there and, you know, I was the, the CMO for the team for a couple of seasons, in New Orleans and ultimately met Juliet, my wife there. And, and we got married in New Orleans and that, you know, we really didn't wanna, raise a family there, So we decided to come back to Central Florida.
Alex Martins: And, you know, when we first came back, I, I took a, a role with the Tavistock Group. course, the folks who own Country Club in Lake Nona and Albany and, and I worked for Joe Lewis. you know, he had his own, you know, private equity, firm, you know, that, that he and his, his, colleagues operated. And they hired me as their vice president of sports ventures. So anything h- to do with sports, that Tavistock operated, I was spearheading. And the two main things that we were working on at that time people may remember, if you're from Central Florida, you may remember the, the Tavistock Cup. one of these Monday, Tuesday PGA Tour events. and it pitted all of the professional golfers at Isleworth against the professional golfers at Lake Nona. And we also operated the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, which, during its time became really the best college tournament in season in the country, bringing together the top 16 to 20, college, golf programs. so we operated that for a couple of years, and after doing that for, you know, that period of time, the owners of the Magic called me. They knew I was back in town. you know, I had interacted, you know, with them occasionally, and they were making some major change with the organization at the time, both on the business and the basketball side. and they asked me if I'd be interested in coming back to operate the business side of the house.
Alex Martins: And, when I came back to the Magic back in '05 and, you know, have been with them since. Of course, during that period of time, going from that EVP of business role to you know, of business operations and COO and then ultimately the CEO role for what was the better part of the last 15 years.
Tom Ruggie: It's interesting to, you know, to hear that background, you know, knowing you and just knowing how a lot of what you talked about in the earlier days really transitioned into, you know, many of the things that, that you accomplished while with the Orlando Magic. So we'll, we'll talk about that for a second because, you know, not just with the Orlando Magic, but you've had just an unbelievable impact on the city of Orlando.
Tom Ruggie: I mean, you've been named as one of the 25 most powerful people in Orlando. Brag a little bit about some of the things you've accomplished. I mean, you've, you've had the role of, as the chair of, of One Orlando. You were one of the, you know, major architects of the NBA's Disney World Bubble during COVID, and of course, you still hold the position, I believe, as, as chair of the UCF Board of Trustees.
Tom Ruggie: And, and I also know there's, there, there's, there's probably much beyond that, but,
Alex Martins: Well, you know, Tom, I, I would say that, a lot of my career has been greatly influenced by, Rich DeVos, who purchased the team only in its third year of existence back in 1991. so for that f- you know, call it seven years of my first time with the Magic, got, know, to, to learn a lot from Mr.
Alex Martins: DeVos and, you know, he had a great influence on my leadership style and, and a lot of things, that I carried with me through my whole career. One of the things that he really instilled upon all of us, you know, when he first purchased the team and throughout his, his time, with us before he passed away a few years ago, that, first of all, that he felt that the DeVos' weren't necessarily owners of the Magic, they were caretakers of the Magic, and the true owners of the Magic are and the community. And, you know, he, through his actions and ultimately imparting upon all of us, felt it was really, really important to be involved in the community and, to have an impact and to give back. he always said that, you know, that, that the fans and the community give so much to us that, you know, it's our responsibility to give back in so many different ways, philanthropically, in leadership and, you know, our, our volunteerism, et cetera.
Alex Martins: And I took that, very seriously and, started to utilize that as a building block my career. I spent a lot of time getting involved in community-based organizations, it was the Chamber of Commerce or the Economic Partnership or, you know, charitable organizations like the Coalition for the Homeless and, you know, volunteered for those organizations, served on their boards, and then ultimately transitioned, you know, through, you know, my time in those organizations into chair roles with a lot of them. And, and the other part, you know, that Mr. DeVos really, you know, imparted upon me and, and all of us relationships are really, really important, you know, in, in our business, in any business. you know, the relationships that we build with our fan base, with our community, are incredibly important.
Alex Martins: And again, I took that to heart, you know, really tried to enact that, every day in, in the way that I operated and, you know, started building, strong relationships personally and for the organizations
Alex Martins: And those relationships over time, you know, helped us to get through major issues that were important to the organization and important to the community, the community venues process, like, you know, the, the ultimate development of the current Kia Center. I really enjoyed it. I'm, I'm, I'm a people person. You know, I, I don't be-- like to be alone by myself. I like to be around people all the time. But I also, like to use the power of relationships to, accomplish, things and, to set goals and ultimately, you know, to be able to, accomplish and move things forward. And, I get really charged up by that. You know, I'm motivated by that, and, I enjoy being a part of that process. so hopefully during the course of that process, you know, we've been able to do some things that have been beneficial to Central Florida, to Orlando and, and to the Orlando Magic organization. I take a lot of pride in, in the fact that we have accomplished quite a bit during that period of time
Tom Ruggie: Yeah. A-as you, as you should. I mean, again, you've not only accomplished a lot, but you've been so beneficial to so many different arenas within the greater Orlando area, and, uh, the insight that you provide is, phenomenal. I couldn't agree more. I think in business that, you know, I, I say that relationships is 90%, that might be exaggerating a little bit, but, you know, the, the power of relationships is extremely important.
Tom Ruggie: again, you've done a phenomenal job there. Let's talk a little bit about the, the Orlando Magic. you've run, uh, an NBA franchise and as doing so, part of your role, and, and this is just part of it, but you've got to manage ownership expectations, you've got to manage player relationships.
Tom Ruggie: You have a large staff, as, as you've already mentioned, you've got the community that we've already talked about, and then you have the, the league itself. And, you know, the way I envision your role is, is you're overseeing all of those different areas all at once. So how did you think about stakeholder management at that level?
Tom Ruggie: And you may have already addressed this, but, you know, what's, what's the leadership lesson that transferred most directly?
Alex Martins: Well, know, first of all, again, it's about relationships, and I think about our league relationship, which to me has, has been an important cornerstone of, of my leadership and, and making sure that we as an organization, you know, play a leadership role and have a strong standing with our league. And fortunately for me, you know, almost at the same time that, I started with the Orlando Magic, our current commissioner, Adam Silver, was starting with the league office, And, similarly, Adam worked his way up. he came from a law firm that, that the league worked with and, worked his way up was... You know, I would, I would characterize it as sort of an understudy to David Stern at the time, the commissioner of the NBA. So as we started together, Adam and I, I developed a relationship and, over the course of years, that relationship grew. And, we've been able to influence a lot of, a, a, a lot of improvements and change, for the league, during that period of time, and it started with that relationship.
Alex Martins: And whether it's, our role in really pushing for and ultimately getting approved, of the patches on uniforms or now today, in recent years, the ability for us to market as teams internationally, which we never had the ability to do. Before the last few years, we were limited to marketing within a seventy-five mile radius around, Central Florida.
Alex Martins: We were never able to market our team to the rest of the world, you know?
Alex Martins: So again, I mean, those are the kind of things that we've been able to provide leadership on.
Alex Martins: You talked about trying to convince Adam to bring the bubble to, Walt Disney World during, COVID and, those type of things. Of course,we've, worked with the league to, to bring the All-Star Weekend, you know, to Central Florida twice, and we're actually in the process of working on trying to bring it again in twenty thirty, and hopefully we'll be successful, in that as well.
Alex Martins: there's a lot of leadership lessons, to answer your question, that I learned along the way, you know? And, it starts with relationships, building relationships, not just, you know, with other stakeholders, but with your employees. ultimately, Developing them, and helping them understand the importance of their role to the organization and helping them grow as leaders and people has always been an important, lesson that I learned again from Mr. DeVos and Karmic Policy and, and others along the way. But, I've tried to, instill upon, my leadership style and ultimately, helping to develop our, our leaders along the way. then, know, let them do their job, you know, not micromanaging, holding them accountable to, goals and ultimately to, what, what we want to accomplish, you know, as an organization.
Alex Martins: I've been fortunate enough to work some incredible leaders over the course of my career and in particular at the Orlando Magic. one of the great things about the DeVos family, and their support of the organization and of our team and of the community,all of that has been that we have an incredibly tenured staff at the Orlando Magic.
Alex Martins: I mean, we have over twenty people, you know, I believe that have more than twenty-five years of tenure. most of the senior leaders in the organization have been with the organization thirty-plus years, some since its inception. and so, you know, we've got a, a high level of talent. our team is regarded as, as one of the best in, in our league and in all of professional sports, as has been, noted by the Sports Business Journal.
Alex Martins: You know, the publication for our industry has recognized us as, one of the best places to work in sports of the-- you know, the last two years. And, in the very first year that they o- you know, had the award, were the only one, the only team of the four major professional sports leagues that, had garnered, that recognition. and that's, you know, just a credit to our team and to, and to our ownership. Great place to work, but also people who are really dedicated and and intelligent, innovative and, believe in the mission of, of the Orlando Magic and what we do in our community.
Tom Ruggie: Great feedback on that. So you know, kind of a, a high and low for the Orlando Magic. I think you would agree. we went into the season with really high expectations, and a lot of injuries, I think, kept us from, accomplishing what I believe the expectations were to accomplish.
Tom Ruggie: Yet, you know, still made it into the playoffs and, as the eight seed and, facing the, the number one seed in the East, the Detroit Pistons. You know, we go up three to one, just amazing three wins. I, I was fortunate to be at two of the games and, just unbelievable time. Then, you know, of course that, that fourth game, Franz gets hurt and, and, afterwards, you know, we proceed to lose the next three, knocking us out of the, the playoffs.
Tom Ruggie: So You know, with that backdrop, what were your thoughts on the season? And, what do you envision, the near f- near-term future for the Orlando Magic as a team?
Alex Martins: Well, it was a really odd season, as you've, as you've outlined, started with great expectations and got off to a great start as well. And then, as, as you mentioned, you know, ended up with, several injuries. As a matter of fact, you know, our top three players, Paulo Banchero and Wagner and Jalen Suggs, only played 16 games together all season,
Tom Ruggie: I didn't know that. That's, that's a crazy stat
Alex Martins: yeah. and so look, I mean, this is a league about talent, right? I mean, talent, wins out. I mean, obviously you need good coaching as well. but at the end of the day, know, the, the talented teams and the talented team is usually the one that wins the championship. And, it's not by accident by any stretch of the imagination.
Alex Martins: Chuck Daly told me a long time ago when he was coaching the Magic, he said, "You know, the best ability is availability." And, when you don't have the talent available, it's really difficult to win. I mean, there's just so much talent in this league, you know? I mean, more talent than ever before.
Alex Martins: And so, it was a difficult mid-stretch of the season. we came back from the All-Star break, and we went on a little bit of a run. I think the expectations by most people at that point were not very high because we were playing the number one seed, in Detroit. And you said, you know, got off to a great start, and, know, went up three to one. But again, even though we started, you know, that series fully healthy, Franz Wagner goes down, and he was a, you know, a real critical element, you know, of, of that series.
Tom Ruggie: Sure
Alex Martins: you know, p- played an incredibly great defensive role on Cade Cunningham in particular, right? And, so, you know, you lose a key piece like that against the number one seed, which does have all of its talent available, and, unfortunately, it w- it, it fell apart pretty quickly. So, you know, it-- overall, you'd have to say it was a disappointing season, and unfortunately, you know, came to the conclusion and made the decision to make a coaching change because of it.
Alex Martins: and you know, I mean, Jamal is in- you know, an incredible coach and, know, is going to have an incredible career. and by the way, m- maybe an even better person. just an incredible human being.
Alex Martins: And, we're fortunate enough now to have Sean Sweeney as our head coach. And, you know, Sean has a, a great storied career as an assistant coach, coaching with some great organizations like Milwaukee and Dallas, and most recently San Antonio. And, during that period of time has coached, you know, some great superstars. know, coached Giannis in, in Milwaukee and, Luka, you know, in Dallas and, and now Wemby in, in, in San Antonio. And so, you know, he's got a great level of experience and, you know, great drive, great energy. as Jeff Weltman says, you know, relentless, you know, in his approach. and, and by the way, credit to Jeff, for the, the roster that he's put together too and, has made some, some bold moves, over the course of last couple of years, including, the trade for Desmond Bane, which as, as we all know, you know, definitely benefited us, you
Tom Ruggie: Absolutely.
Alex Martins: team.
Alex Martins: Brought great shooting. and Desmond is just a, you know, he's a warrior. He's, he's an incredible professional. has been a great addition to the organization.
Alex Martins: you know, the prospects are as, are as good as they were, you know, going into next season and hopefully the health situation next season will, will be better and stable. And, if we have that availability, I know that we'll have some great ability to win
Tom Ruggie: I agree. I mean, they were, they were certainly an exciting team to watch, you know, when they were clicking on all cylinders. to, to your point, they just weren't clicking on all cylind- cylinders very much. but, and, and I also agree Desmond was not only a huge addition for his, you know, prowess on the, on the floor, but the mentality that he brought to the team was just a little additional edge that I feel like the team really needed.
Tom Ruggie: So love, love having him there. quick question here. can you give me, during your career specifically with the Magic, what's the one high and what's the one low?
Alex Martins: Well, the highs are, are definitely, you know, when you win at the, the highest level, right? So for me, the highs really are, the two times that we were able to and I was able to experience going to the NBA finals. I've said several times that nothing brings a community together like tragedy or winning sports team,
Tom Ruggie: True
Alex Martins: And those are the two times that you see a community really galvanize, know. And it, it certainly was the case when we went to the, went to the finals both those times. you know, I, I can remember those weeks of the finals. It felt like everybody was going to work, but nobody was working, you know.
Alex Martins: Because everybody was wearing their Magic blue, and, every company would allow you to come in your Magic gear. Back in, particularly in, in '95, of course, we were all in office. there was no, you know, flexible work from home and, any of that, right? everybody was in the office and, there was, there wasn't casual dress code, during that time.
Alex Martins: But, when the Magic went to the finals, it seemed like every business in Orlando allowed their employees to, wear Magic gear, in support of the team during that week. And it was incredible. And those games, the old Orlando arena and then ultimately what was then the Amway Center, you know, were some of the most exciting games I can remember of my career, know, with the enthusiasm of the crowd and, you know, he-hear yourself think, you know, because it was so loud in the building. So those, those were definitely the highs. You know, the, the lows, I would have to say the most difficult thing to, to do in this business and any business and, you know, certainly the most difficult of my career is whenever you have to make the decision to make a change, when it involves a human being, you know, and somebody that's worked for you for so long and, you know, put their heart and soul and effort, you know, into the organization.
Alex Martins: And whether it was a general manager or a coach that I had to dismiss or, you know, a, a frontline employee, those are the difficult times. Those are the really difficult times because, you know, back to my earlier point, you build relationships with people, you help develop people, you put your heart and soul into people and, you know, the, the business just dictates at certain points in time that you have to make a change, you know, with individuals.
Alex Martins: And so those, those were always the difficult times, you know, during my career
Tom Ruggie: That, that, that makes sense. one q- last question about the Magic wanted to know if, if, you could share, you know, the, the funniest player interaction that you've ever had.
Alex Martins: Well,
Tom Ruggie: I'm sure there's a, I'm sure there's, I'm sure there's a lot.
Alex Martins: There's a lot of them, some of which cannot be repeated.
Tom Ruggie: Right.
Alex Martins: but one that can, of course, I think everybody knows even to this day that, Shaquille O'Neal is just an incredible practical joker, He loves it. He loves playing practical jokes on people. And so I was the PR director, you know, during the Shaq era, and, you know, I've always said that, you know, traveling with Shaq and, and Penny and that group, must have been like traveling with The Beatles because everywhere we went, you know, there were just thousands of people. And, and we would, you know, when we would travel, we would get into cities at 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning, you know, on back to backs, you know, leave a, a, a city after we play a game, go to the next city, and there'd be hundreds of people waiting at the hotel, you know, just, waiting to, to see Shaq or to get an autograph, and Penny, et cetera. so two quick stories about Shaq. On that note, you know, in, in, you know, with him and, and when the fans were waiting for us at, at, hotels when we would arrive, we went into Sacramento early in the morning. It was 2:00 in the morning or something o- one, one trip, and, Shaq says to me, "Watch," you know, "I'm, I'm gonna walk in and they're not even gonna recognize me." I'm like, "What? Are you kidding me? How, how, how can they not recognize you? You're one of the biggest humans in the world, you know? They're gonna recognize you." Well, long story short, he has this whole getup. He's got a wig and glasses and a hat and this trench coat, and, and, sure enough, he gets off the bus and walks right past everybody, and I'm the last one off the bus, and everybody's like, "Where's Shaq?
Alex Martins: Where's Shaq?" And I said, "Well, you missed him. You know, he walked in already." You know, and that, you know, that was, like, what he loved to do. He loved to be a practical joker. Well, for me personally, the one thing he did to me as part of, you know, my role as the PR director, obviously, you know, one of my responsibilities is to make sure that Shaq and all the players, interact with the media and, you know, fulfill all the interview requests, et cetera.
Alex Martins: And, you know, this is in his second or third year, and, you know, he's, he's just tired of doing all the interviews. In the middle of the season, we're going through the grind. you know, at that time, we were on national TV every Sunday on NBC, and so he was always having to do the, the, the pre-game interviews and the halftime interviews and post-game.
Alex Martins: So anyway, we're finishing up practice, and I, I go out to the middle of the court to get Shaq to do his interviews, and he's like, "I'm not doing 'em. I'm not doing it today," you know? And I was, you know, I was trying to convince him that he had to do them, that was his responsibility. The media was waiting for him, et cetera. Well, he proceeds to wrap me up- in medical tape at mid-court and leave me. The, you know, I was, I, I couldn't move. entire body, you know, wrapped me up in medical tape, and left me there, you know, at, at mid-court. but that was Shaq, you know? He was always a practical joker and,
Tom Ruggie: I mean, to, to this day, every- everybody loves Shaq. I mean, he's just, just has a, Sounds funny to say this, but he kinda has like just, just a glowing personality
Alex Martins: Without a doubt. And, and look, it's transitioned to a great career after his career, right?
Tom Ruggie: Yeah
Alex Martins: mean, y- to this day he's gotta be the highest level endorser of, you know, many products for a former professional athlete,
Tom Ruggie: True
Tom Ruggie: All right. We're, we're gonna close up, Alex, with just a, a couple personal questions. So, give us a glimpse of, what you like to do in, in your personal time. You, you mentioned the wine. You can... That's something else we have in common. I,
Tom Ruggie: I sometimes tell people I'm a collector, but I actually consider myself more of a drinker than a collector, 'cause I don't...
Tom Ruggie: But, but, but ha- have a nice collection, but really enjoy drinking it. But, you know, what else do you do?
Alex Martins: Yeah Well, first and foremost, just love spending time with my family. I have an incredible family, two young girls who are both, University of Southern California and, doing great, you know, have grown up and to be, young women and, of course my wife, Juliet. So love spending time with them, love spending a lot of time together.
Alex Martins: We do a lot of family, a lot of family time together. But beyond that, you know, you've, you've mentioned I'm a, I'm a collector of wine as well. probably more of a consumer than a collector like yourself, but, but enjoy collecting and enjoy, the history of wine and, you know, visiting great wine regions of the world, et cetera. So, you know, that's, that's definitely one of my passions. but you know, one, one passion that has really come about over the course of the last 10 or 15 years that, may be one of my favorite, if not my favorite thing to do, is fly fishing. so we s- we started coming out to Colorado, in the summertime in particular, 15, 17 years ago. And the first couple of times that I came here, saw people fly fishing, you know, and I thought that it looked, incredibly relaxing and, felt like it was something that I wanted to do. And I'm not an outdoorsman, you know, I, I don't deep sea fish either or any of that. It just looked incredibly relaxing to me and, and technical.
Alex Martins: And so anyway, ended up going, you know, back home to Orlando from a trip, you know, to Colorado and found, one of, world's, I guess, best fly fishing casting teachers that was actually, on the east side of town and scheduled a couple of lessons and, you know, started
Tom Ruggie: In Orlando
Alex Martins: In Orlando.
Tom Ruggie: Wow. Yeah
Alex Martins: Yeah. Yeah. of the world's best, you know, casting teachers. we just did it in his backyard, we didn't do it on water, but you know, just teaching the technical as- aspects of how to, cast in fly fishing because it's much different than, deep sea fishing, et cetera. so anyway, the next few times I came out here, started to do it and story short, you know, I now belong to a club, in Colorado that, is both as much a fly fishing club as a golf club. so I just love it. It's exhilarating. It's the most relaxing thing, you know, that I do. I get out there on the water,I just forget about everything,
Tom Ruggie: That's awesome. Well, I also know you're, you're an avid golfer, but I, I kinda get the feeling that that doesn't necessarily relax you as much
Alex Martins: No, it doesn't relax me as much, and I think I'm a better fly fisherman than I am a golfer.
Tom Ruggie: Fair, fair enough. All right, so, you know, you were inducted, into the, Orlando Magic Hall of Fame. during that induction you said you wanted to be remembered as a leader, and that as you look towards the next chapter of your life, you have a desire to help leaders grow for the future.
Tom Ruggie: In, in practicality, what does that look like to you at this point?
Alex Martins: Well, in practicality, it's already begun in the form of, mentoring young leaders in the Magic organization. You know, that's part of my new role. And, you know, I've spent a lot of time with everything from salespeople that, you know, may be fairly new to the organization or that, you know, have been with the organization for a while but, you know, wanna take that next step in their career, to some of our most senior executives. just helping them, you know, get through the challenges of a career, helping them, you know, take on the principles necessary to take that next step in their career, and just giving them advice based on my career and, and what I've experienced and what I've seen, not just in our organization, but other organizations, you know, interacting in the community like we've talked about or, within our league, et cetera.
Alex Martins: So that mentorship is something that, you know, I take very seriously and I wanna continue to do. but, you know, I also wanna continue to help others in their, in their leadership style. I've always been, you know, a, a, a great student of leadership and, an avid reader when it comes to, you know, leadership books, et cetera. And ultimately, you know, I, I, I think I'd like to write my own book on leadership. You know, the principles sports in particular that have guided me and, you know, leadership principles, you know, from the sports industry that people can utilize, you know, in, in any leadership position, you know, in any industry, et cetera. so that's one thing I wanna do. you know, I've, I've gotten, and you've helped me along the way with a lot of this, and, you know, trying to take it to the next level, getting into just investing, know, and, and, understanding businesses. and, you know, joining groups of people and, and organizations, that are in the investment world, and, and doing some of that. finally, you know, I'd, I'd like to utilize my leadership skills to, hopefully, you know, serve on some corporate boards. I think my leadership experience and then the experience that I've been able to have as being on several community boards and, you know, you mentioned we didn't talk much about the, the UCF board, but, you know, I've been the, the chairman of the board at UCF for the last five years and, you know, that's been an incredible experience working very closely with the state and, and other business leaders to help push that university forward.
Alex Martins: And, you know, we, we gained an in- incredible accolade in the, the last few months of having reached preeminence, which is, you know, one of the highest levels of, of recognition and achievement that, university can achieve in the state of Florida. So, you know, taking all of that experience and bringing it to corporate boards is something that I'd like to do, you know, in this next chapter as well
Tom Ruggie: Sounds like you've got a, a great path ahead of you. I, I actually, I think you would do an amazing job writing a book, so I think that's, that's a, a pretty cool goal for you
Tom Ruggie: All right, let's close it out with the last question. you know, we call our podcast The Significance of Wealth, and, you know, you've worked incredibly hard during your 40-year career, and you've, you've built wealth for you and your family.
Tom Ruggie: what can you tell us about that process that to you, you know, what you've done over the last 40 years makes life significant?
Alex Martins: Well, I mean, the significance of wealth is at the end of the day, you know, trying to achieve the hopes and dreams of your family, I think, right? And so all, all through that period of time here, the majority of the time here, you know, with your assistance, you know, we've been able to focus on, you know, creating wealth and the vehicles and the savings and ultimately the strategy behind ensuring that we as a family can reach our goals, both personally and professionally. And it starts, you know, started with very early on, you know, preparing for the girls', education, and, preparing, that Part of wealth to allow them to go to the, you know, whatever university of their choosing. And of, of course, thank goodness that you had me on the right path because, of course, they chose one of the most expensive universities in the country to go to, both of
Tom Ruggie: Both.
Alex Martins: but no, that of
Tom Ruggie: Yeah
Alex Martins: in all seriousness, in all seriousness, it's a, it's a great university, and it's, it's perfect for them because, both of them, in some ways, wanna work in the enter-entertainment industry in different ways, and no better place, I think, than USC to prepare them for that. But, you know, that, that was planning, and that was strategy, you know, that you, you and I worked on together, you know, that allowed us to be able to provide that for them. then similarly, you know, having a strategy of, of, of investment, you know, along the way so that you can reach those goals. you know, whether it's, you know, our ability to, to have a home in, in Colorado and spend some time actually here, we're here at the moment, you know, in the, in the summertime in particular, or to travel the world like we've been able to do and wanna continue to do and, also to, you know, leave a legacy for the girls, you know, i-in-in some ways. the way, you know, it's, it's been in-incredibly fun and interesting to me to work on that significance of wealth and, and building that wealth. And, you know, the, the lessons learned through, you know, the private and alternative investments that you've given us access to and, and, and now, you know, opened our eyes to it to the point where, you know, I'm, I'm doing it in other places as well. so, you know, the significance of wealth is ultimately, you know, being able to accomplish what your dreams and goals are, for your-- for you and your family. and, and to live a happy and healthy and, ul-ultimately fruitful life. and, you know, I'm really grateful that you've, you've been a great partner in, in us, you know, being able to do that.
Tom Ruggie: Thank you so much for the, the, the, the compliments, but, an amazing, answer to, to close this out. So Alex, just wanna say, very much appreciate you as, as a, a friend and, and, a longtime client, but, certainly appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your, your wisdom, on this podcast.
Tom Ruggie: Thank you so much
Alex Martins: Happy to do it, and thanks for having me, Tom. It was, really enjoyable. Thanks
Tom Ruggie: Awesome. My pleasure
Martie Salt: That brings us to the end of today's episode. Thank you for tuning in. Be sure to subscribe to Significance of Wealth on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else. You get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can also follow Tom Rouge and Destiny Family Office on LinkedIn and Destiny family office.com for more insights on wealth management, private market opportunities, and collectibles.
Martie Salt: Until next time.
Martie Salt: The expressed views, thoughts, and opinions belong solely to the host and/or guests and are not investment recommendations or opinions issued by Destiny Family Office or its affiliates. Investment advisory services are offered through Destiny Family Office LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor.
Martie Salt: Destiny Family Office podcasts are the sole property of Destiny Family Office, and information provided is for informational and educational purposes only. Learn more at destinyfamilyoffice.com/disclosures.