Miller revealed the murder, and his stint in prison, in a story at Sports Illustrated on Wednesday . Preserving the secret allowed Miller to build a successful career with companies like Campbell Soup, Kraft Foods and the Trail Blazers, where he served as team president from 2007 to 12, between stints with Nike and Jordan Brand, where he now holds the role of chairman. Hired by Nike back in 1997, Miller served as Vice President and General Manager of Nike Basketball before eventually moving on to Jordan Brand President from 1999 to 2006, and then again since . Also during his tenure, the Trail Blazers have made significant strides to becoming a leader in sustainability among professional sports franchises. Such a scholarship foundation would provide opportunities for family members and demonstrate that Mr. White did not die in vain, said Mrs. Arline, his daughter, adding that Mr. Millers words must be followed by actions. That somebody would tap me on the shoulder and say, Hey, arent you ? Or, Didnt you? And then everything would just kind of come crashing down, Miller says. White was a father of two. Although his exact birthdate is still a mystery, it is known that he is 72 years old right now. In his first broadcast interview, he told that it happened because White was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Portland has recorded three consecutive trips to the postseason while riding a streak of 159 consecutive sellouts dating back to December 21, 2007. Miller speaks at the Footwear Achievement Awards. ", Miller goes into more detail in his book, and while he admitted it was "a really difficult decision" to tell his story, he told Sports Illustrated: "I feel the freedom now to be me.". Your Money, Your Life, LATEST LISTS Miller said his activity with gangs came to a head on Sept. 30, 1965. "'I've forgiven him. "I still have to pinch myself that I work with Michael Jordan," said Miller. Why am I putting myself out there like that? . He had served 4 and half years in juvenile detention after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. As Miller tells his story, its hard to square the two Larry Millers: the self-described gangbanger who didnt value his own life vs. the one sitting here today in this executive office, in wire-rimmed glasses and a dark blazer, a pair of ultra-rare Air Jordan 1s on his feet and images of Jordan decking all four wallsincluding a striking floor-to-ceiling mural of Jordan soaring to the rim during the 1988 slam-dunk contest. He earned an accounting degree from Temple University at age 30, around the same time he regained his freedom. "I was definitely nervous about sharing with him, just because I have so much respect and love for MJ," he said of telling the NBA legend. When an invitation arrived to attend a dinner with the Clintons, during Bill Clintons presidency, Miller initially hedged, fearing the background check. So all I can do is try to do what I can to help other people and try to maybe prevent this from happening to someone else.. In the year 1997, he was appointed as the General Manager and Vice President of Nike Basketball. While staying inside the prison, he saw education as a key to his release. Of the years Miller spent in prison, or the horrifying act that put him there. Sometimes it even would make me question, Is this really something that we need to do? Lacy says. Larry subsequently attended the Urban League Leadership Institute and came out with a graduation degree in 1987. He also held the position of Manager at Kraft Foods. Miller shot the first person he and his fellow gang members came across, an 18-year-old later identified as Edward White. In 1997, he began working as vice president of Nike Basketball, and two years later he became president of the newly launched Jordan Brand. I started being more interested in impressing people in the street than I did my teachers and parents, he says. While Nike helped make Jordan a billionairehis current net worth is $2.1 billion he paved the way for Nike to leave Adidas and other competitors in the dust. Ahead of his forthcoming autobiography Jump: My Secret Journey From the Streets to the Boardroom, which was co-written by his daughter Laila Lacy, the Nike executive disclosed in an interview with Sports Illustrated a secret that he has been keeping to himself for decades. His height is 5 feet 11 inches. Mr. Miller kept apologizing, she said, and at times tears welled in his eyes. His real date of birth is still unknown but it is known that he is currently 72 years old. In the past, while he was looking for a large corporate job to launch his professional career, he had a job offer refused. Black Men XCEL President and Chief Executive Officer. Under his management, the professional basketball team made 3 consecutive trips to the postseason with a streak of 159 consecutive sellouts since December 21, 2007. Its a secret that Miller, 72, has guarded for more than 50 years. He suffered intense migraines, paranoia, and took frequent trips to the emergency room. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Nike Jordan CEO Larry Miller. The 72-year-old exec now serving as Jordan Brands chairman told SI of the 1965 slaying in his corner suite on Nikes campus in Beaverton, Oregon, where he keeps notes signed by Jordan, as well as autographed boxing gloves from Muhammad Ali and a basketball signed by President Obama. In 1999, he was made a President of Jordan Brand, and until 2006, he served the position. Azizah Arline was months from being born and never met her dad. The Jordan 1 Retro Fragment can resell for up to $2,000. Because she is only now learning the painful details about how her father died, she told Mr. Miller, its as if weve lost him twice in one lifetime., Mr. Miller, noting that he and Mr. White lived only blocks apart in West Philadelphia, said, To be honest, the things that they shared about Mr. White, you know, the more I thought about it, I think hes someone I would have liked if I had gotten to know him., In an interview, Mrs. Arline said that because her fathers name was not mentioned in the book, it was like he was a nobody. And because Mr. Miller did not inform Mr. Whites family before the book and the Sports Illustrated article were to be published, she said, We were truly an afterthought for him.. [7] Miller was 16 years old and in a West Philadelphia gang called Cedar Avenue. Barbara Mack hugged Larry Miller after he apologized for killing her brother, Edward David White. About 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Larry Miller, the former president of the Portland Trail Blazers, current Nike and Jordan brand chairman, has a secret he has kept from some of his closest friends, even Michael Jordan himself. Larry Miller, who has piloted the . Article continues below advertisement. Nike makes and markets its iconic sneakers to increase the value of the Jordan brand, which brought sports apparel into the mainstream in . Here's What He Left Out", "He Rose to the Highest Levels of Business and Basketballbut With a Secret", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Larry_Miller_(sports_executive)&oldid=1127756169, Fox School of Business and Management alumni, Wikipedia pending changes protected pages, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 December 2022, at 13:30. In October 2021, an interview was conducted with Miller where he admitted being the murderer of Edward White, whom he shot as a gang member of a Philadelphia gang named Cedar Avenue. But while writing the book has brought healing for Mr. Miller, it has reopened wounds for the White family. Miller says he wanted the facts to become public on his terms and his timeline, by disclosing it exclusively to SI now, before any details could leak in advance of the books publication. Before that, Miller was the former president of the Portland Trailblazers and previously an executive at Kraft Foods and Campbell Soups. 3.5K. He just happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Miller made headlines after coming forward about his involvement in a 1965 murder. Contact In two recent meetings, the family of Edward David White, who, unarmed and without a police record, was shot at age 18 and left to die in the street, met in person for the first time with his killer, who was himself a teenager at the time and is now an executive at Nike. Larry was a part of a gang when he was a teenager, and as a member of the gang, he shot and murdered 18 year old, Edward David White. Once it kind of set in, I was like, 'Oh, shit, what have I done?' . But as a . Barbara Mack hugged Larry Miller after he apologized for killing her brother, Edward David White. Some part of that fund will be used to help Miller spread what he says is his most vital message: that everyone deserves a second chance. A Nike Executive Seeks a Family's Forgiveness for a 1965 Murder. Miller said he didnt know his victim, identified in news reports at the time as Edward White, whom he admitted fatally shooting on Sept. 30, 1965, with a .38-caliber gun in West Philadelphia. He previously served as the team president of the professional basketball team, Portland Trail Brazers. Miller is opening up about his past now, more than 50 years later, with hopes of helping at-risk youth and incarcerated people. Larry Miller has played an influential role in Nike history and is a beloved member of the Nike family, Nike CEO John Donohoe said in a statement to SI. Author: Howard Beck. He says he is planning to reach out to Whites family, as well. Daniel Gilbert ( Net Worth - $44.8 Billion) Team - Cleveland Cavaliers. He stated, At that point, I decided that I wasnt going to share this anymore. Nevertheless, he was later given the opportunity to serve at Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., where he worked as an Assistant Controller. But for the first time in his life, he is ready to present both versions of himself to friends and peers and the public at large, with the hope that others can follow his path. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. When he was hired at Campbells, the application asked only whether he had been arrested or convicted of a crime in the last five yearsa technicality that let him breathe a sigh of relief. Since Miller returned to Jordan Brand in 2012, the company has expanded its roster of female athletes, launched the Jordan womens line and increased its presence in college and sports outside basketball. As a 16-year-old in 1965, Miller shot an 18-year-old man. The Portland Trail Blazers then . He received a Bachelors degree in accounting from Temple University in 1982. Just as critically, Miller hopes his evolution can provide hope to others whose lives have taken a dark turn. Heres how a case that upended the drug war crumbled, Then a breakthrough in one case tied all five to one man, The F.B.I. B.E. Under Miller the team has recorded three . At the end of the meeting, Mrs. Mack said in an interview on Sunday, Mr. Miller asked if he could hug her and she said yes. . His offer was quickly rescinded, SI reported. Now 72, Miller pleaded . In 2007, Miller was hired as President of the Portland Trail Blazers, replacing interim president Tod Leiweke. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. ABC. I hope his experience can create a healthy discourse around criminal justice reform, by helping remove the stigma that holds people and communities back.. I will call him on the carpet every single time, she said, to ensure that this legacy for my father comes to fruition., Mr. Miller said the details had not been worked out, but that I think we have agreed that we wanted to do something that allows his name to live on and something that also is a benefit and positive to other folks that come from our community.. I hope his experience can create a healthy discourse around criminal justice reform, by helping remove the stigma that holds people and communities back., With his lifelong secret now revealed, Miller said the anxiety-induced nightmares and migraines he endured amid fears of his past coming back to haunt him are no more calling it a real freeing exercise., Its freed me, Miller told SI. I feel the freedom now to be me., 75 Years of NBA Coulda-Beens Trae Young is the Hawks' Torchbearer Luka Is Learning From the Best. The shooting occurred on Sept. 30, 1965, when Miller and other members of West Philadelphia's Cedar Avenue gang went out looking for retribution after one of their own had been killed in a fight by the 53rd and Pine gang. Miller held the position as the President of Jordan Brand from 1999-2006. Jeffrey McKinney is a long-time freelance business writer and reporter, contributing to Black Enterprise magazine for several years on a broad range of business and financial topics. Miller's victim was 18-year-old Edward David White, who had an 8-month-old son and a daughter on the way at the time. In an interview you will see first on "CBS Mornin. The leagues commissioner told SI he was stunned at first by Millers disclosure. Miller would go on to take over Nike's Jordan Brand and help build it into a $5 billion empire. For Miller, the troubles began at age 13, when he joined the Cedar Avenue gang, in the Cobbs Creek section of West Philly. Miller served as President, Executive Vice President and Controller for Jantzen, Inc. and was a Manager for Kraft Foods, Assistant Controller at Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. and held various positions with Campbell Soup Company. In a statement to SI, Silver said he was initially stunned at the disclosure, having never heard even a rumor or whisper of any criminal past. Biden Had Cancerous Tissue Removed: Doctors Confirm No Further Treatment Needed. Sources report Miller's net worth ranges between $1 million and $5 million. Offers may be subject to change without notice. At the time, Miller said he embraced the power he felt that came with street life. Vanessa Ray Pregnant: Who Is Eddie on Blue Bloods? It just more and more makes me feel sorry about what I did.. Millers daughter, Laila Lacy, who co-wrote the book, said, Until we started writing, I didnt know about the migraines. She said she read Mr. Miller a letter about her younger brother, telling him that Mr. White had a twin sister, a young son and a baby on the way. As Miller describes it, his decision to pull the trigger was an act of retribution. Converse, Jordan Brand. Contact Larry Miller's booking agent for speaker fees, appearance requests, endorsement costs, and manager info or Call AthleteSpeakers at 800-916-6008. . Because if not, if I do not forgive him, I cannot be forgiven," said White's sister, Barbara Mack. We were all drunk, Miller says softly. He served four and a half years in prison for that crime and five more years for a series of armed robberies before rehabilitating his life and building a prosperous, high-profile career as a sports and marketing executive. He eventually relented, sending in his Social Security number and birthdate and throwing his fate to the winds. October 13, 2021. "I still always felt like I wasn't being true to myself because I was holding and hiding a part of me that people didn't know about," he said. In a 90-minute interview with Sports Illustrated, Miller described being haunted by the killing, which he described as utterly senseless. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Even as he ran an NBA franchise and then oversaw the transformation of the Jordan Brand, nearly doubling its revenue during his tenure, he kept it from Jordan, Nike founder Phil Knight and NBA executives. While in prison, Miller resumed his education. Since 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. He then left to become president of the Trail Blazers in . I was definitely nervous about sharing with him, Miller says, just because I have so much respect and love for MJ. But the supportive responses from Jordan and Knight gave Miller confidence he could tell other longtime friends, such as Silver. According to reports, Larry Miller is married. After Whites family learned about the incident from a newspaper article, he made the decision to beg for forgiveness. He came out of prison at 20 years of age and got arrested shortly after getting involved in a series of other crimes. Erwin Bach Net Worth: How Rich is Tina Turners Husband Actually? A second meeting last week included preliminary discussions about Mr. Miller establishing a scholarship foundation in Mr. Whites name, funded in perpetuity, that would assist his descendants and perhaps others in attending college or trade school, according to the family and their lawyer, Ronald L. Marrero. Nevertheless, he was eventually granted the chance to work as an Assistant Controller at Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. Beyond his own quest for forgiveness, Mr. Miller said he hoped that the book would change peoples views of the formerly incarcerated and that it would be a positive influence on people who are in jail or thinking about committing a crime. He spoke of the number 21 being important in the familys life, as the date of several birthdays, including his and his fathers, and the number worn on sports jerseys in memoriam. That in itself is a testament to the relevance and massive pull of Michael Jordan's name . Larry Miller was born in Valley Stream, New . The mementos lining Larry Millers office suggest a life of comfort and privilege, of celebrated achievements and celebrity friendships. Larry Millers exact net worth is not available at the moment. Zac Stacy Net Worth 2023: How Rich is the Football Player?
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