Howard University is the newest member of the Jordan Brand family. As reported by The Hilltop, Howard University and the Nike-owned Jordan Brand have signed an athletic partnership deal. Their previous deal with Under Armor expired on June 30th. The new deal does not affect the previous partnership the university signed with 4-time NBA Champion guard Stephen Curry for apparel and equipment for the collegiate golf team. The partnership will last for 20-years under this new contract and the Howard University Jordan Branded Football Apparel will debut on August 27th at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge against Alabama State in Atlanta.
The Jordan Brand is one of the most popular clothing brands in the world. As reported by the “Huddle Up” Newsletter’s Joe Pompliano, the Nike-owned property grossed $5 Billion in annual revenue. The brand was built around NBA Hall-Of-Famer Michael Jordan and the first “Air Jordan” shoe was released in 1985. Since it’s release, the Air Jordan shoes have become synonymous with Black Culture. The brand would be referenced in Rap songs and new releases would incur long lines of customers waiting for it’s release.
The Jordan Brand just crossed $5 billion in annual revenue for the first time.
That means Michael Jordan made $150M+ from Nike last year alone—or nearly 2x his career NBA earnings.
The part you didn’t know?
Without this man, it would’ve never happened.
Here’s the story 👇 pic.twitter.com/JBKzu1NqLJ
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 30, 2022
Representatives of the Jordan Brand spoke about the deal with Howard, saying, “From current students and alumni to the Shaw neighborhood and communities all around the world that are impacted by the people of Howard University, how we pay homage to the broader community is as important as gaining recognition globally. This partnership with Howard is not only an investment in the organization, it is an investment in Black futures, inspired by basketball culture.”
Howard joins Georgetown, Michigan State, UCLA, UNC, Florida, Oklahoma, San Diego State, Houston and Marquette as official “Jordan” schools. Jordan Brand has worked with HBCU’s before. North Carolina A&T, formerly a MEAC institution, was the first HBCU to sign a deal with Jordan in 1997. Morehouse, which competes in the SIAC, also wears Jordan branded uniforms.
