What are the chances that if you look around your room right now, you will find a product branded with that famous “swoosh” symbol? The man responsible for founding what is arguably the world’s most famous sports brand, Nike is Phil Knight.

Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938), is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company.

He began his career like most ordinary college grads: no money, no clear direction, and what looked like a lifetime at a desk job as an accountant. What transpired instead was one of the greatest stories of American entrepreneurship and a multi-billion sportswear giant. This is the story of Nike Co-founder Phil Knight, who turned his crazy idea into reality.

As of 2020, Knight was ranked by Forbes as the 25th richest person in the world, with now an estimated net worth of US$53.5 billion. He is also the owner of the stop motion film production company Laika.

Born in Portland, Oregon, to Bill Knight, a lawyer turned newspaper publisher, and his wife, Lota Cloy (Hatfield) Knight. Phil grew up in the Portland neighborhood of Eastmoreland and attended Cleveland High School.

According to one source, "When his father refused to give him a summer job at his newspaper [the now-defunct Oregon Journal], believing that his son should find work on his own," Knight went to the rival Oregonian, where he worked the morning shift tabulating sports scores and every morning ran home the full seven miles."
It was this initial experience that made him the star athlete in the state and he has won titles for his running performances.

Knight is a graduate of the University of Oregon and Stanford Graduate School of Business. He ran track under coach Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon, with whom he would co-found Nike.

After he obtained his Master’s degree, he traveled to Japan, where he got the rights to sell the Tiger-brand running shoes. He then partnered with his former coach and created NIKE which is a name that went on to become one of the world’s best-known sporting brands.

Knight started his business with a small Plymouth Valiant automobile. The legendary story of his classic American dream of making it big with determination coupled with hard work and patience. A friend of Knight’s, Jeff Johnson suggested calling his brand Nike and they created the logo, which is recognized as one of the world’s most powerful ones, for a mere $35.

After his stupendous success, Phil moved on to obtain Laika Studios, which he entrusted upon his son, Travis. He turned the fortunes of the company around with the help of his Nike executives. It was under his leadership that Laika studios went on to become one of the best short-film animated studios in the world.

Phil Knight’s story is not an overnight success, but that of determination and grit. He was able to manage a business very passionately, due to which, his legacy will remain for years to come. His story is not all smooth sailing though. He lost his son Mathew to a scuba diving accident in scuba diving accident back in 2004. He said that the incident helped him put things in perspective and that family was always the most important thing. Knight not only created one of the most memorable brands of all time but was also able to fend off competition from the likes of European competitors such as Adidas and Puma. After retirement, he assumed the role of chairman of the company.

Phil Knight is also a well-known entrepreneur and has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to each of his alma maters, as well as Oregon Health & Science University. He has donated over $2 billion to the three institutions.

An inspiration, Phil Knight has touched the lives of millions of athletes around the world with his company and efforts. In 1964, they each put up $500 to start what would become Nike, then called Blue Ribbon Sports. Today Nike's revenues top $37 billion. Having retired from the CEO position at Nike in 2004, Knight continued to serve as the company's chairman. But he has always been much more than a corporate executive. Knight is the father of sports marketing, an industry he almost single-handedly created. He is a visionary and a leader. And he embodies everything that is Nike – excellence, integrity, and passion.

"There is an immutable conflict at work in life and in business, a constant battle between peace and chaos. Neither can be mastered, but both can be influenced. How you go about that is the key to success."
— Phil Knight