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Harold Varner III is just the second golfer ever to be sponsored by Jordan Brand.
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Varner said the deal with Jordan came together in two days and began with a text from MJ.
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“If MJ wants to do something, he’s going to do it,” Varner said.
Nike sponsors some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour, but 30-year-old Harold Varner III is the only player in professional golf currently sporting the iconic Jordan Brand.
The deal between Varner and Jordan was an easy match, with Varner proudly representing the state of North Carolina, where he was raised. But listening to Varner tell the story, the undoubtedly expensive agreement between the two parties came together even easier than he expected.
“Insanely easy,” Varner said of the deal while speaking as a guest on GOLF’s “Subpar” podcast.
“MJ texted me and said, ‘I’d love to have you in the brand.’ And two days later, Harold Varner was in the brand. It was the most non-complicated thing in the world,” Varner said. “If MJ wants to help or wants to do something, he’s going to do it.”
Varner said that the most complicated part of setting the deal up was responding to Jordan’s initial text. Before the deal was made, Fred Whitfield, a friend of Varner’s who also happens to be the President of the Charlotte Hornets, gave Varner the heads up.
“The boss is going to text you,” Whitfield’s message read. “I’m like, ‘Who the hell is the boss?'” Varner said.
Varner said he received a text from Jordan in the morning ahead of a practice round but forgot to reply to his future boss. Finally, “like seven hours later,” Varner got around to texting Jordan back, and the deal was made.
Representing Jordan Brand comes with plenty of perks – namely, a bunch of cool shoes.
Varner guessed that he had roughly 400 pairs of Jordans thanks to the regular shipments he gets from the brand as one of their sponsored athletes.
But Varner said the best part of the relationship is how it enables him to give back.
“Obviously, I get to do stuff with my foundation, but there’s kids that are like ‘Can I get some Jordans for some foundation.’ Yeah sure! That’s the coolest part for me,” Varner said. “Because at the end of the day, no one is going to remember all the shoes I had. They’re going to remember, ‘Man Harold gave me this shoe, and I made X amount of dollars for my foundation.'”
While Varner has yet to secure his first PGA Tour win, he’s been inching closer this season, including a T2 finish at the RBC Heritage in April.
When Varner finally beats the field and lifts his first PGA Tour trophy, he’ll be repping Jordan from the winner’s circle.
Read the original article on Insider