Phil Knight is the co-founder and former CEO of Nike, Inc., one of the largest and most successful sportswear companies in the world. Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1938, Knight had an early passion for sports and running, which later fueled his vision to revolutionize athletic footwear. After earning an MBA from Stanford University, where he wrote a paper on the potential of importing Japanese running shoes, Knight started Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964. This company would later become Nike, a brand that today is synonymous with innovation in sports and culture. Under Knight’s leadership, Nike grew from a small operation selling shoes out of the trunk of a car into a multi-billion-dollar global empire.

Knight’s memoir, Shoe Dog, provides an insider look into the early struggles, challenges, and victories of building Nike. It offers a candid and personal account of his entrepreneurial journey, highlighting the ups and downs of starting a business from scratch. Knight is known for his tenacity, visionary leadership, and willingness to take risks, qualities that helped shape Nike into a cultural phenomenon. Today, he is regarded as one of the most influential entrepreneurs of the modern era, and his work has left a lasting impact on the worlds of business, sports, and fashion.