Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player in history, is joining sports betting company DraftKings as a special adviser.
"I think Michael would be at the top of anyone's list in our industry," Matt Kalish, co-founder and president of DraftKings, told Cheddar on Thursday. "Michael is a proven marketing genius and branding genius, and has been incredibly successful on and off the court."
As part of the deal, Jordan will be receiving an undisclosed equity stake in DraftKings ($DKNG), which boasts a market capitalization of about $14 billion. Kalish declined to say whether these shares were newly-created or given to Jordan from another stakeholder at the company.
"We are really, really excited to get to work with Michael starting with our next board meeting. Having his voice around the table will be incredible."
Last week, the NBA decided to postpone playoff games in the wake of another Black American killed at the hands of law enforcement. Jordan, who was notoriously apolitical during his career in the NBA, announced a decision in June to donate $100 million over the next 10 years to "organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education."
Kalish says recent events in the NBA have inspired DraftKings to take a closer look at their own organizational structure to ensure equity is apparent throughout, and that Jordan's "front and center" position on the issue can help them with that.
"I think he's somebody that brings a very authentic voice to how to sort of think about and deploy a truly equitable, inclusive working environment," Kalish said. "I'm really excited to hear more of what he has to say and see his impact on DraftKings on that topic."
According to Kalish, DraftKings also may have won a sweepstake to land the six-time NBA Finals MVP over its competitors in the sports betting space.
"I don't think it's hard to believe that every single sports betting operator, fantasy sports company, anybody in our industry would want to partner up with [Jordan]," Kalish said. "I really look forward to pursuing more projects with Michael, working hand-in-hand."
