George Raveling, who is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame college coach, has died at the age of 88.
A social media post from his family appeared on Raveling’s account announcing the sad news that the Hall of Famer died of cancer.
“It is with deep sadness and unimaginable pain that we share the passing of our beloved “Coach,” George Henry Raveling, who faced cancer with courage and grace.
He transitioned peacefully at 88, surrounded by family as well as love, faith, and sacred protection.”
It is with deep sadness and unimaginable pain that we share the passing of our beloved “Coach,” George Henry Raveling. pic.twitter.com/LGWQubvI3V
— George Raveling (@GeorgeRaveling) September 2, 2025
Raveling, who was a head coach at Washington State, Iowa, and Southern California (between 1972 and 1994), was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, with a career record of 335-293, according to The Associated Press.
He has been credited with leading NBA great Michael Jordan to the budding Nike brand before the former Chicago Bulls guard signed with the company. Raveling was on the basketball staff for the U.S. Olympic basketball teams in 1984 and 1988. In 1984, he introduced Jordan to Sonny Vaccaro at Nike, which blossomed into Jordan helping the brand grow exponentially, leading to probably the most profitable and most recognizable sneakers in the world, Air Jordan.
That wasn’t lost on Jordan as he gave a statement about Raveling’s death.
“For more than 40 years, he blessed my life with wisdom, encouragement, and friendship,” Jordan said in a written statement. “He was a mentor in every sense and I’ll always carry deep gratitude for his guidance. I signed with Nike because of George, and without him, there would be no Air Jordan.”
The Hall of Fame coach was also a collegiate basketball player before his coaching career. While playing at Villanova from 1957-60, he averaged 12.3 points and 14.6 rebounds over his last two seasons. He never got to play in the NBA, although he was drafted in the eighth round in 1960 by the Philadelphia Warriors.
