The inside story of Jordan Brand’s short-lived partnership with North Carolina A&T

As the NBA begins its new season, its popularity is at its highest level since its inception. From the incredible sustained greatness of LeBron James and the three-point shooting skills of Stephen Curry to the statistical wonders of Nikola Jokic, the NBA maintains a presence both in the U.S. and abroad. Yet one legendary athlete who retired 20 years ago remains one of the sport’s greatest figures. Saying his name brings out huge accolades, as well as debate over whether he is the greatest of all time. Enter Michael Jordan.

The popularity of the NBA is largely due to the rise of Michael Jordan. His competitive nature, technical prowess and aerial prowess captivated the sporting world. However, a big part of Michael Jordan’s legend is his partnership with Nike to build the Jordan Brand. It started with the Air Jordan 1 in 1985, and today shoes and apparel remain an important part of fashion culture.

However, many people don’t know that HBCUs, specifically North Carolina A&T, are a huge part of Jordan’s brand story. Let’s talk about Jordan Brand’s short-lived partnership with North Carolina A&T and how it set the stage for the brand to land apparel deals with college teams.

Jordan – North Carolina A&T Connection

As Michael Jordan plays his “last dance” with the Chicago Bulls, North Carolina A&T becomes one of three schools with college sports teams equipped with Jordan-branded apparel. According to a report in the Greensboro News & Record in September 1997, the North Carolina A&T basketball team joined the University of Cincinnati and St. John’s University as the first three college programs to form a partnership with Jordan Brand. Each team is equipped with new uniforms, warm-up equipment and travel equipment.

The deal itself brings a lot of attention to the three schools, but the association with Michael Jordan’s brand and apparel and equipment comes in lieu of payment. North Carolina A&T’s then-athletic director Dr. Willie Burden believed the deal was a win-win for both parties.

“We want to be a part of this program, so we’re excited and we believe when everything is finalized it will be a win-win situation with North Carolina A&T, Nike and Mr. Jordan.”

A&T assists Jordan Brand

There’s no doubt that North Carolina A&T benefits from its partnership with Jordan. Their association with Jordan Brand provided them with a level of prestige and free media attention that was tied to Jordan’s deft moves in his post-NBA career choices. However, Jordan Brand may benefit more. Despite Jordan’s success on the court and the best-selling nature of his shoes, the NBA legend partnered with Nike to spin off Jordan Brand (then known as “Jordan Brand”) into its own independent business.

This is a new beginning for the brand. Now, they no longer sell consumer goods; They hope to form lucrative partnerships that will further take the company to new heights. In addition to partnerships with North Carolina A&T, the University of Cincinnati and St. John’s University, he also signed five NBA players as his first “Jordan Brand” athletes: Vin Baker, Eddie Jones, Derek Anderson, Michael Finley, and Ray Allen.

Despite the popularity of Jordan and his shoes, Nike’s market share in the footwear industry continues to decline. According to a report in the Washington Post in September 1997, Nike hoped to use its partnership with the now-independent Jordan Brand to boost profits. The Washington Post also reported that in 1997, the Air Jordan product line was the fourth highest-grossing sports product line, second only to Reebok, Fila and Nike’s entire product line. Jordan isn’t on top of things in his latest venture. He was competing for the top spot against the industry giants of the day, just as he did earlier in his career with teams like Larry Bird’s Celtics and Isaiah Thomas’ Bad Boy Pistons.

Jordan Brand benefits from partnerships with North Carolina A&T, St. John’s and Cincinnati, expanding its target market beyond professional athletes to college teams and fans. The partnership allows them to showcase their brand on a larger scale and reach a wider audience, further spreading awareness of the new brand and capturing significant market share in college sports. The program has certainly helped, as Jordan Brand now has apparel deals with several schools, such as Howard University.

Aggies create blueprint

According to a September 2001 Triad Business Journal feature article, North Carolina A&T was so pleased with the partnership and its impact that they signed an extension with Jordan Brand and also renamed the institution “Jordan University.” one day. The institution expands its tiered partnership with Jordan Brand, receiving undisclosed financial and “in-kind” contributions, and establishing four programs to improve student life and gain additional benefits from the partnership.

“Under our original agreement, Jordan Brand sponsored our men’s basketball team,” North Carolina A&T President James C. Renick told the Chicago Tribune in September 2001. “Now we have four new initiatives to give students a day full of fun and excitement.”

The four initiatives launched as a result of the extended partnership are:

• Established the “Jordan Lecture Series” with members of the Jordan Brand serving as guest speakers to speak to members of the North Carolina A&T community
• A $1,200 grant to start the Jordan Book Fund was started with a $1,200 grant. No further details about the fund were available.
• North Carolina A&T will serve as the centerpiece of the Jordan Foundation Grant Program, providing grants to schools that serve as centers of valuable resources.
• An NC A&T student will be selected as part of a Nike internship program in Portland, Ore.

The Aggies laid the foundation for how to build a partnership of this scale, leveraging their relationship with Jordan Brand to improve student life and provide opportunities for students and the community. This is certainly a model that should still be followed as we’ve seen Steve Harvey with Alabama and LeBron James with Florida A&M in recent years. Its brands have done similar deals.

HBCU leaders should never be afraid to try new things. Identifying possible growth and sustainability opportunities within the respective missions and strategies of these institutions can be fruitful. We must learn to embrace the non-traditional because, in fact, that is often what makes the experiences we provide special. This is unique to us, we make our own rules and utilize the resources available to us to continue to maintain our relevance.