Back in 1984, Michael Jordan was undecided on which brand to represent when he made it to the NBA. Although different brands showed interest in him, Nike could snag him from the competition. One of the key people who helped in this process was Howard H. White. White is Nike’s longest-tenured black executive and currently works as the vice president of Jordan Brand.
Because of his work ethic and his dedication to his craft, he was recently awarded the 37th FN Achievements Award. Discussing his relationship with the Chicago Bulls legend, White revealed how Jordan pushed for him to be in a new movie.
Michael Jordan pushed for Howard White
In a recent interview with FN, White talked about his relationship with Michael Jordan and Phil Knight, the former CEO of Nike. White revealed that he has a good relationship with both of them and is often in contact with them, having known Jordan since 1984 and Knight since 1982.
White said, “Ben told me, ‘I went down to see Michael; I wasn’t going to do a movie without his permission.’ Michael said, ‘If it’s about Nike you got to put Howard White in there.’ I guess he explained to Ben what I meant to him.“
Chris Tucker played White in the movie, and he was a show stealer. White was one of the most loved characters, and his significance as an agent was visible throughout the movie. Jordan waxing poetic about White’s importance was a great reward for the 73-year-old executive.
Jordan signed with Nike in 1984 for 5 years for 2.5 million dollars. But what changed everything for him were the royalties that Jordan received for all the shoes that were sold with his name and likeness. Over the years, as sales increased, Jordan started making billions from Nike.
Jordan Brand saved Nike
Back in 1984, Jordan and Nike accomplished the unimaginable. As a rookie wearing Air Jordans, MJ shifted everyone’s attention to his feet. This led to the company selling over $100 million worth of Air Jordan shoes in just his rookie season.
David Flak recently revealed that that might have been the reason Nike survived. Nike was struggling to make space in the market after going public. So they decided to place their bets on Jordan. It would seem their trust paid off, as Nike is now worth over $165 billion.