Jordan Brand Announce 20 Year Partnership with Howard University

News on this release was first published on May 27, 2022.

Update August 12, 2022: Jordan Brand have officially announced their 20-year partnership with Howard University!

Craig Williams, Jordan Brand president has said: 'Howard University and Jordan Brand share a legacy of excellence and deep commitment to the Black Community. As a HBCU graduate, I understand the educational impact an institution like Howard University has. We are proud to partner with Howard University and see the growth in Black talent on the field and well beyond it.'

Howard University are the newest member of the Jordan Brand family! The Washington, DC-based university and the Jumpman recently agreed on a sponsorship deal per a report from The Boardroom, which indicates that Jordan Brand will begin providing Howard's athletic programs with apparel and footwear after their current contract with Under Armour expires later this year.

Jordan Brand have been pumping up their collegiate roster over the last decade, and Howard is the newest member of an ever-expanding group of Jumpman-sponsored schools that also includes UNC, UCLA, Georgetown, Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida, Marquette, San Diego State and Houston. Maybe we should have seen it coming after actor Anthony Anderson got a special pair of Air Jordan 4 PEs after he graduated from Howard last month! Ironically, another Michael Jordan is a Howard alum as well – Michael B. Jordan, to be specific.

Howard are also the first HBCU to receive a Jordan Brand sponsorship since 1997, when the Jumpman inked North Carolina A&T – previously attended by Michael Jordan's brother Larry Jordan – as one of their first three collegiate squads, though that deal ended in 2003 when their athletic conference reached a group deal with Russell Athletic (though they did return to Nike in 2016). Morehouse College, another storied HBCU, received a million-dollar donation from Jordan Brand in 2021 and their basketball teams wear Jordan Brand uniforms, but they're not officially sponsored by the company. Howard's partnership with Jordan Brand also follows Florida A&M signing a LeBron James brand-specific deal with Nike back in 2021.

The only Howard athletic programs that will not wear Jordan Brand are the men's and women's golf teams, thanks to their close relationship with Steph Curry and his Curry Brand, an Under Armour subsidiary. Curry made a large cash donation to Howard in 2019 to fund the re-launch of their golf programs and has since then outfitted both teams with Curry Brand products.

Expect to see the Howard Bison in Jordan Brand kicks and gear in the coming months, and be sure to keep an eye out for special PEs!