Hall of Fame coach and Nike executive George Raveling dies at 88

Basketball lost one of its greats. George Raveling, the longtime coach, Nike executive and Hall of Famer, has passed away at the age of 88.

His life stretched far beyond the court, but the court is where he left one of the deepest marks.

Raveling coached at Washington State, Iowa and USC, after playing at Villanova and becoming one of the program’s top rebounders. He was the first Black coach in the ACC when he joined Lefty Driesell’s staff at Maryland in 1969, and he went on to lead programs, mentor players and break barriers everywhere he went.

After retiring from coaching in 1994, Raveling became Nike’s global basketball marketing director, helping to shape the brand that would come to dominate the sport. He was even portrayed by Marlon Wayans in Air, the 2023 movie about Nike’s landmark deal with Michael Jordan.

But his story was bigger than basketball. Raveling was a volunteer security guard at the March on Washington in 1963. After hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech, he asked for a copy. King gave it to him. Raveling later donated the historic document to his alma mater, Villanova.

The tributes poured in. ESPN’s Jay Bilas called him “a dedicated coach, mentor, friend and true guardian of the game for decades.” Former NBA coach and point guard John Lucas said, “It’s the dash that defined you — and yours was unforgettable.”

Raveling’s own path was remarkable. Raised in Washington, D.C., he didn’t even pick up a basketball until ninth grade. His father died when he was nine. His mother was institutionalized a few years later. He credited academics and mentors for shaping him, and he paid it forward a thousand times over.

So the game lost more than a coach. It lost a leader, a trailblazer, a man who spent his life making basketball and the people around it better.