Michael Jordan made a $1 million donation to a Portland medical center named after one of his first contacts at Nike

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan donated $1 million to the Providence Heart Institute in Portland to establish a cardiac disease center named after Howard "H" White, one of MJ's first and closest contacts at Nike .

Known as the 'Godfather of the Jordan Brand,' White was treated at the Providence Heart Institute in 2017 after he was diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis. This disease happens when protein abnormally builds up in heart tissue. Three-and-a-half years later, he underwent a life-saving heart transplant. Many more lives will be saved because of the new Howard "H" White Center for Cardiac Amyloidosis.

"If you believe anything is possible, you owe it to the world to help someone else believe," said White. "I believe this new center will help save more lives and help people avoid needing a heart transplant like I did. And I'm both humbled and inspired by the friends who are joining in to help Providence make this belief a reality."

White helped land MJ his first Nike contract

Then, a sales executive at Nike, Howard, was the company's representative present during its initial pitch to lure Jordan in 1984 and was the only African American inside the room other than the Jordan family. MJ signed with the Swoosh brand later that year, and the partnership has since turned into a billion-dollar business.

Now 74, White is the longest-tenured African-American executive at the Oregon-based corporation. He joined the company in 1978 as a field representative and has literally risen to the top. In 1991, White was appointed as the company's main liaison officer with the NBA and coordinated all of the company's basketball operations.

He was promoted to Nike Director of Athlete Relations before shifting to the Jordan Brand , where he currently works as Vice-President. Together with MJ, White helped turn the Jumpman division into a billion-dollar empire. In 2023, the Jordan Brand turned in a profit of $7.2 billion , helping Jordan increase his net worth to $3.5 billion .

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Jordan is giving back to support White

MJ's story with Nike is one of the most successful in any industry. Mike was a die-hard Adidas athlete up until he entered the NBA, and he wanted to wear the brand with three stripes in the league. However, Adidas infamously turned him down in one of the most iconic business blunders of all time, considering Mike even gave Adidas one last chance before signing with Nike.

"I went back to Adidas and said look, this is the Nike contract; if you come anywhere close, I'll sign with you guys. Anywhere close to what they were putting on the table. But at that time, Adidas was a European brand that really didn't make a strong push for the United States, and they didn't feel that it was worth it, which, in hindsight, was perfect for me because it made my decision much easier, and I ended up with Nike. From that point on, the relationship just started to blossom," Jordan narrated .

With people like Sonny Vaccaro and White, Jordan became the top shoe-selling athlete of all time with his legendary Air Jordan line. Despite all his success, MJ has never forgotten the people who helped him achieve it. Certainly, 'H' was one of them. Helping him establish the heart center is just one example of the GOAT giving back.

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