{"id":233576,"date":"2012-09-10T23:00:41","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T04:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicekicks.com\/?p=233576"},"modified":"2022-09-16T09:53:08","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T14:53:08","slug":"six-eye-opening-statements-from-phil-knights-hall-of-fame-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/six-eye-opening-statements-from-phil-knights-hall-of-fame-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Eye-Opening Statements From Phil Knight’s Hall of Fame Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"

In addition to Reggie Miller, Jamal Wilkes and Ralph Sampson, Co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc.<\/strong>, Phil Knight<\/strong>, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this past weekend in Springfield, Massachusetts. As with previous Hall of Fame inductees, “Buck” prepared a speech for his inauguration that revealed interesting and intriguing facts about his profession. Besides touching on the beginnings of Nike, Nike’s current worldwide state and the most successful Nike campaigns ever, Phil Knight also compared his breadwinner, Michael Jordan, to a peculiar host of politicians that include a Cuban Revolutionary figure (huh?). Check out the six eye-opening statements from Phil Knight’s Hall of Fame induction speech below.<\/p>\n

“The sporting industry will never be the same, and his (Michael Jordan) brand, today, sells more product than when he was at the peak of his game.”<\/h2>\n

This simply speaks to the firm grasp Michael Jordan still, and will continue to have, on this culture and generation. Kids that buy his shoes today can only rely on YouTube videos to see MJ’s dominance during his heyday. They never saw him play a full game, yet, his signature line appeals to so many people in any and every age group. A lot of credit goes to renowned designer Tinker Hatfield for creating timeless designs, but the unmatched enormity of Michael Jordan will keep his name alive for years and years to come.<\/p>\n

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“Nike is successful now, but before success, there was defeat. We were kicked out of two banks, we borrowed money once from a shoebox manufacturer to meet the payroll, and another time, we had to sell $2500 (worth of footwear) at a national PE convention in Seattle, Washington on a Friday to meet payroll on a Monday.”<\/h2>\n

It’s always nice to hear how a successful company started off. Phil Knight explained the beginnings of Nike midway through his speech, and to hear about Nike’s struggles in its initial stages, should make you appreciate the brand that much more. You have to crawl before you walk.<\/p>\n

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“In the winter months, it may be hard to believe, but I was a gym rat – wearing floppy socks before Pete Maravich and Converse shoes – getting a new pair at the cost of $7 before the big game every season.”<\/h2>\n

Yes, Phil Knight played sports as a kid. We know that. That part of the above mentioned quote is not eye-opening, but $7 for some Chuck Taylors definitely makes one stop and think. Can you imagine any pair of shoes costing $7? Not to mention, it was one of, if not the most popular shoe on the market at the time. That’s equivalent to copping the “Playoff” Air Jordan 11s this winter for about $20. You wish.<\/p>\n

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“…Kobe Bryant’s leaping a speeding Aston Martin got 8,000,000 internet hits in the first hour after it ran on YouTube.”<\/h2>\n