Jalen Hurts dines with Michael Jordan and takes over Nike HQ: ‘I hear the MVP chants but you got to put champ after that now’

Jalen Hurts visits Nike’s Beaverton, Oregon facilities after dining with Michael Jordan

Just one month after becoming a Super Bowl champion — and MVP of Super Bowl LIX — Jalen Hurts is having dinner with six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan. The 26-year-old champion was spotted over the weekend — cigar in hand, of course — with the 62-year-old Hall of Famer.

This was a dream scenario for the Eagles quarterback, dating back to 2023 when he revealed his dream dinner party in an interview with TIME. The guests included Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Muhammad Ali, Denzel Washington, Frankie Beverly, and former president Barack Obama — with whom he spent some time golfing with at the start of the season.

It should come as no surprise that the two were spotted having dinner together after the launch of Jordan Brand’s “Love, Hurts” ad campaign. “Love, Hurts” was one of the centerpieces of the Super Bowl parade — with the phrase being seen on Hurts’ hoodie and as a branding activation in LOVE Park. It also appeared in the new Jordan commercial that was released after the Birds’ Super Bowl win.

Hurts seems to be the face of the Jordan brand after a successful year that saw the quarterback wearing Jordan cleats throughout the season — from getting fined for wearing mismatched cleats, which the Jordan brand offered to pay, to wearing Air Jordan 1 “Unbannable” cleats during Super Bowl LIX.

The two-time Pro Bowler also took the time to visit Nike headquarters. Hurts arrived in a “Love, Hurts” Jordan Brand truck, surprising Nike employees with free shirts.

The Super Bowl champion was welcomed with MVP chants echoing throughout the room before he gave another one of his “too cool for school,” speeches.

“Well, I appreciate the warm welcome,” Hurts said. “All the love being up here. Everything is a journey. You know, everything that you go through is an experience and an opportunity to learn from it, you know? To be that light for a lot of people, that’s something I don’t take lightly. I take a lot of pride in it. I hear the MVP chants but you got to put champ after that now.”

Scattered throughout the headquarters were physical reminders of some of Hurts’ popular catchphrases from the past — including “I know I didn’t walk through that fire just to smell the smoke,” “I had a purpose before everybody had an opinion,” and “Rent is due every day.”