George Raveling, who was an iconic figure in the basketball world, has unfortunately passed away at the age of 88. He famously played for the Villanova University basketball team and served as their assistant head coach before eventually coaching at other major colleges like Maryland, Iowa, and USC.
His NCAA coaching record is 336-292 (.535), and he was one of the winningest coaches in Washington State basketball history.
But one of the biggest reasons he became a significant cultural figure for basketball was because he managed to convince Michael Jordan to join Nike, which eventually landed him the role of their sports marketing director for over 30 years from 1994 until his demise.
Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls legend, found out about this unfortunate news and issued a reaction statement to his close friend’s passing away.
“I am deeply saddened to hear about George’s passing. For more than 40 years, he blessed my life with wisdom, encouragement, and friendship. He was a mentor in every sense, and I’ll always carry deep gratitude for his guidance. I signed with Nike because of George, and without him, there would be no Air Jordan.”
“He lived an extraordinary life, breaking barriers and paving the way for so many who came after him. My thoughts are with Delores, Mark, and George’s many, many friends.”
Raveling and Jordan met during the 1984 Olympics, when Raveling was traveling with Team USA as an assistant coach and Jordan played for the Dream Team. He was even portrayed in Jordan’s biographical movie, ‘Air,’ by renowned actor Marlon Wayans.
He was the one who pushed Jordan to eventually sign with Nike when they were not a major sports brand back in 1984. Hence, Michael Jordan acknowledged that without him, he wouldn’t have his multi-billion-dollar brand ‘Jordan’ with Nike today.
How George Raveling Convinced Michael Jordan To Sign With Nike
Raveling “used to always try to talk to me, ‘You gotta go Nike, you gotta go Nike. You’ve got to try,” Michael Jordan reportedly said after Raveling’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2015.
Raveling used to sing praises of the brand and constantly advocate for them to Jordan. He eventually set up the meeting between Jordan and Nike’s Sonny Vaccaro, who was a key catalyst in bringing the first Air Jordan sneakers to life.
After Jordan hesitated to sign with a brand that wasn’t a market-leader at the time, it was Raveling who discussed a hypothetical scenario with him where Nike could make an offer he couldn’t refuse.
He eventually pulled the strings to make Nike give him such an offer. Indeed, when Adidas declined to match the offer, it was an obvious choice for Jordan to stick with a company that cares more about him.
