Why Nike cofounder Phil Knight OK'd the Kaepernick ad
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LeBron James played a key role pushing Nike’s controversial Colin Kaepernick ad forward, according to a new account from Nike founder Phil Knight.
Knight, who started the sportswear giant 55 years ago, spoke recently at a Stanford Graduate School of Business event about the current iteration of the Just Do It campaign. Knight said that many executives, including Nike CEO Mark Parker, initially had doubts about including the polarizing former San Francisco quarterback in a marketing push to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” campaign.
“Parker looked at it and went, ‘Gulp,'” Knight said at the event, according to an article published by Stanford Graduate School of Business. But after recalling a recent conversation with James about fears the basketball star has for his son’s future as an African American, including the concern that he may be shot by a policeman while driving, Knight realized the ad needed to air.
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