Three laws of basketball, according to Nike

Unknown to many, running legend Steve Prefontaine, a native of Coos Bay, Oregon, who ran for the University of Oregon, was the first athlete to wear Nike shoes.

Nike Basketball came into being in the early 70s, and before Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Amare Stoudemire and company, there were Moses Malone, George Gervin and other legends pounding the hard court in their Nikes.

In the recent Spring 2006 Asia Pacific Basketball Media Summit at the Nike World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, Nike brand manager Ralph Greene gladly shared with the summit participants the Nike basketball history.

On Greene’s mind, not much has changed in basketball with the exception of longer shorts, bigger arenas and fancier halftime shows.

"Some players still soar as if they have wings, others own the paint and give their opponents nightmares, and then there are those speed demons who dictate the pace of the game," said Greene. "And while there are countless differences between all of these players of this timeless sport, one thing has remained the same – the shoes on their feet are made by Nike."

Why? Greene said it’s largely because Nike "hears the voice of the athletes."

Nike believes three laws govern the game of basketball, and none is more important than the other.

From the beginning they have shoes to offer for force, flight and uptempo players.

Among the first players to wear Nike basketball shoes are Malone, Gervin, Norm Nixon, Artist Gilmore, Larry Nance and Michael Cooper.

Then came Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Penny Hardaway, Reggie Miller, Ron Harper, Tim Hardaway and Gary Payton.

While Bryant, Carter and Stoudemire provide tremendous influence on Nike’s latest performance silos, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Rasheed Walace, Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher, Elton Brand, Rashard Lewis, Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol, Jason Richardson, Manu Ginobli, Steve Nash, Josh Howard, Andrei Kirilenko, Richard Jefferson, Lamar Odom, Jermaine O‚Neal, Tony Parker, Tayshaun Prince, Zach Randolph and Shawn Marion are among other current NBA stars gracing the hard court in Nikes.

Taking over from Malone and Barkley as Nike force players are Stoudemire, Walace, Brand, O‚Neal and Odom among others. Carter, Prince, Jefferson and Marion are among the current Nike flight players and Bryant, Ginobli, Kidd, Nash and Parker among the uptempo specialists.

And Nike hasn’t been left in the never-ending evolution of the game. Just consider its force lineage from Air Force 1 in 1983 to Nike Dunk and Terminator High in 1986, Air Delta Force AC High in 1987, Air Alpha Force in 1988, Air Pressure in 1990, Air Force 180 Low in 1992, Air Force Max in 1993, Air Max CB2 in 1994, Air Max Elite in 2002 and Air Force Operate in 2005. And now comes the Air Total Force Max.

Consider too the flight lineage from the Blazer in 1973 to Air Revolution in 1988, Air Flight in 1989, Air Flight Huarache in 1992, Air Way Up in 1995, Air Zoom Flight in 1996, Air Zoom Flight Five in 1997, Air Flightposite in 1999, Nike Shox BB4 in 2000, Air Hyperflight in 2001, Nike Shox MTX in 2005 and the Nike Shox VC V AF now.

Founded by legendary University of Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman and UO middle distance runner Phil Knight in 1962, Nike has grown from its humble beginning to become a multi-billion-dollar empire.

Nike employs approximately 26,000 people worldwide. In addition, approximately 650,000 workers are employed in Nike contracted factories around the globe. It reported net revenues of $13.7 billion in 2005, a 12 percent increase from the previous year.

Nike owns facilities in Oregon, Tennessee, North Carolina and The Netherlands, and operates leased facilities for over 15 Niketowns, over 200 Nike Factory Stores, more than a dozen NikeWomen stores and over 100 sales and administrative offices.

Among its subsidiaries are Cole Haan, Bauer Nike Hockey, Hurley International LLC, Nike IHM, Inc., Converse and Exeter Brands Group LLC.

To the Nike people, the 16 buildings in their Oregon world headquarters are a soft-spoken testimony to the beauty of sports. Nike employees are typically active people who take full advantage of the fields, trails and gyms that dot the 176-acre spread. Each building is named after an athlete who is key to Nike’s growth over the years.

Nike’s roots run deep in the Asia Pacific region since Knight first began doing business in Japan in 1963, importing shoes. Nike Asia Pacific has been in operation since 1977, when it began selling footwear in the region and subcontracted factories in Taiwan and Korea.