Hibbett And Nike Unveil New Philanthropic Initiative, First String, With $50000 Inaugural Donation

Birmingham, Ala., Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hibbett, in partnership with Nike, unveiled their new philanthropic initiative, First String, with a $50,000 donation to Wenonah High School’s boys and girls basketball programs.

Hibbett and Nike understand that true success goes beyond the court. That’s why the two have partnered together to create First String, a program designed to make a lasting impact on student-athletes in local communities. First String is dedicated to empowering the next generation of student-athletes by providing a financial contribution to high schools' boys and girls basketball teams and awarding scholarship funding for a student from each team. Additionally, First String provides students with career development opportunities such as job shadowing and more.

“We’re excited to launch First String,” said Jared Briskin, Hibbett President and CEO. “First String seeks to foster both athletic, academic and career success and launching First String in our own backyard means a lot. We believe in the power of community to inspire, uplift and create opportunities for young people to succeed both on and off the court. We’re looking forward to seeing the impact First String will have on high school student-athletes and hosting these students in our local offices for career development opportunities,” said Briskin. 

Hibbett and Nike launched First String ahead of the inaugural Bama in Boutwell basketball game in Birmingham, Alabama. The Wenonah high school basketball teams participated in a shoot around with Jared Briskin, Hibbett President and Chief Operating Officer, Mayor Randall Woodfin and Samantha Williams, Birmingham Promise Executive Director. Ahead of the shoot around, Hibbett and Nike presented Wenonah with the $50,000 donation and surprised the players with the new Ja basketball shoes.

“Hibbett has been a part of the Birmingham community for 79 years,” said Mayor Randall Woodfin. “To see the impact First String has on a local Birmingham school is empowering and encouraging. We all want to see these players successful on and off the court and First String will help ensure those students succeed. The partnership between First String and Birmingham Promise to help provide students with scholarship funding to continue their post-high school education and help identify possible career opportunities continues to foster the Birmingham community,” said Mayor Woodfin.

To schedule an interview with a representative from Hibbett to discuss First String, please contact Katie Evers, evers@knighteady.com. Click here to view footage from the First String launch and click here to view pictures from the event.

About First String:First String is a philanthropic initiative launched by Hibbett in partnership with Nike aimed at empowering the next generation of student-athletes. Focused on supporting local high school boys and girls basketball programs, the program fosters athletic, academic, and career success, seeking to create opportunities for young people to thrive on and off the court. Each year, First String donates funds to local basketball programs and selects one player from the boys and girls teams to receive scholarship assistance for their post-high school education. Scholarship recipients are also given access to internships and career development opportunities with Hibbett at their Birmingham corporate office, helping them explore passions beyond basketball and gain valuable career-building experience.

About Hibbett, Inc.: Hibbett, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a leading athletic-inspired fashion retailer with 1,169 Hibbett, City Gear and Sports Additions specialty stores located in 36 states nationwide as of May 4, 2024. Hibbett has a rich history of convenient locations, personalized customer service and access to coveted footwear, apparel and equipment from top brands like Nike, Jordan and adidas. Consumers can browse styles, find new releases, shop looks and make purchases online or in their nearest store by visiting www.hibbett.com. Follow us @hibbettsports and @citygear on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About JD Sports Fashion:Founded in 1981, the JD Group (“JD”) is a leading global omnichannel retailer of Sports Fashion brands. JD provides customers with the latest athleisure fashion through working with established and new brands to deliver products that our customers most want, across both footwear and apparel. The vision of JD is to inspire the emerging generation of consumers through a connection to the universal culture of sport, music and fashion. JD focuses on four strategic pillars: JD brand first, first priority, first in the world; leveraging complementary concepts to support JD global expansion; moving beyond physical retail by building the right infrastructure and creating a lifestyle ecosystem of relevant products and services; and doing the best for its people, partners and communities. JD is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index and had 3,300 stores worldwide at 4 May 2024.

Attachments

• First String Check Presentation
• Mayor Randall Woodfin at First String Launch

Katie Evers
Hibbett
evers@knighteady.com