Hall of Fame member George Ravelling died at the age of 88

George Ravelling, a Hall of Fame basketball coach who played a role in Michael Jordan's historic endorsement contract with Nike, died at the age of 88.

Raveling's family said in a statement Tuesday that he "has faced cancer bravely and gracefully."

"There is no word that fully expresses what George means to his family, friends, colleagues, former players and assistants, and to the world," the family statement read. "He will be deeply missed, but his temperament, energy, divine existence and eternal wisdom will last in the hearts of all those who have been influenced and changed by him." His success in these events led Ravelin to the US Olympic basketball team in 1984 and 1988.

The team that Jordan, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold medalist, helped convince him to sign with Nike. He introduced Nike's Sonny Vaccaro to Jordan, which helped lead to a contract that allowed Jordan to own his own brand, earned millions of dollars and transformed the sportswear industry.

Lavel suffered a serious car accident while mentoring USC in 1994, resulting in nine ribs, clavicle and pelvic fractures.