Estee Portnoy

Estee Portnoy (née Estee Mermelstein) is an American business executive. She is business manager and spokesperson for National Basketball Association Hall of Fame basketball player Michael Jordan.[1]

Portnoy was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Portnoy attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor[2] where she was an honors graduate in Marketing. She also received an MBA in Marketing from the University of Maryland.[3]

Portnoy began her career in sports marketing at the University of Michigan in the Athletic Public Relations Office and as a member of the Board in Control of Inter-Collegiate Athletics.[4]

As business manager to Michael Jordan, Portnoy has been part of his inner circle for more than two decades.[5][6][7]

She also serves on the Executive Team of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, of which Jordan is majority owner.[8]

Portnoy is an executive producer of The Last Dance, a 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty.[9]

Portnoy serves on the Sport Management Advisory Board for the Sport Management Program at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology.[10]

Portnoy was on the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) International Board of Directors in 2006 and one of its past chairs.[11]

Together with her husband, Portnoy is founder of KEEN USA, a nonprofit organization that provides sports and recreation activities to children with disabilities in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington DC.[12]

She was also part of the National Advisory Council for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and is currently on the Executive Committee of Hillel International’s Board of Directors.

In 2021, Portnoy joined a group making an investment in Washington Spirit soccer club.[13]

• Outstanding Service to Youth Award from the Montgomery County Commission on Children & Youth (1999)
• S. Robert Cohen Award from the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes (2006)
• Jewish Women International’s “Woman to Watch” (2009)[14]
• BBYO’s Kol Echad Award (2014)[15]

Portnoy is married to Elliott Portnoy, an attorney. The couple met as teenagers at a BBYO event. They reside outside of Washington, DC. They have three children.[1]