Knight asks his father for a loan to travel the world and pitch a Japanese shoe company.

Knight meets with Onitsuka executives in Kobe and proposes that his company, Blue Ribbon, distribute Tiger shoes in America.

Knight and legendary Oregon track coach Bob Bowerman become partners in Blue Ribbon, with Knight retaining 51% control.

Onitsuka grants Blue Ribbon a three-year contract as its exclusive distributor across the entire United States.

Knight leaves his accounting work to become a professor, where he meets student Penny Parks, his future wife.

Knight and Penny Parks get married in Portland, Oregon.

Nike shoes debut at the National Sporting Goods Association Show in Chicago and become the hit of the event.

Kitami discovers boxes of Nike shoes in Blue Ribbon's Los Angeles store and presents a document voiding their contract.

A judge rules in Blue Ribbon's favor in its lawsuit against Onitsuka, and both sides agree to a $400,000 settlement.

The Bank of California ends its relationship with Blue Ribbon and reports the company to the FBI for suspected fraud.

Nissho's financial manager reviews Blue Ribbon's books and agrees to pay off the company's debt, ending the FBI investigation.

Steve Prefontaine, one of Nike's first celebrity endorsers, dies in a car crash after a track meet in Eugene.

Bowerman's waffle-soled trainers become enormously popular, giving Nike a clear identity and establishing it as a household name.

Nike settles its import duty dispute with the US government by agreeing to pay $9 million.

Nike goes public at $22 per share, instantly making Knight and his partners multimillionaires.

Phil Knight borrows money from his father and travels to Japan to strike a partnership with Onitsuka Tiger, launching a small shoe company called Blue Ribbon. He partners with legendary coach Bob Bowerman and fights his conservative bankers to keep growing the business against all odds. After a dramatic split with Onitsuka, Nike shoes debut at a major trade show and the company wins a pivotal lawsuit against its former supplier. Financial crises and an FBI investigation nearly destroy Blue Ribbon, but the Japanese trading company Nissho steps in to save it. The death of star endorser Steve Prefontaine marks the emotional low of the story before Nike rebounds with a wave of popular waffle trainers. A prolonged customs battle is eventually settled, and Knight finally takes Nike public at $22 a share, turning a crazy idea into a billion-dollar empire.

Nike's founding journey from a wild idea to a public company.

Knight and friend Carter take jobs in Hawaii, but Carter chooses to stay when Knight decides to continue his travels alone.

Knight arrives home from his year-long world trip on his 25th birthday.

Knight receives a box of Tiger shoe samples and begins selling them from the trunk of his car at track meets.

Jeff Johnson quits his social work job and becomes Blue Ribbon's first full-time employee.

Jeff Johnson opens Blue Ribbon's first retail storefront on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California.

Knight hires Bob Woodell, a promising long jumper left wheelchair-bound by an accident, to open a Blue Ribbon store in Eugene.

Knight meets Onitsuka factory worker Fujimoto at a company picnic and later sends him money to replace a typhoon-destroyed bicycle.

Penny and Phil Knight's first son, Matthew, is born in their new home in Beaverton.

Knight hires young artist Carolyn Davidson to design a logo, and she creates the curved swoosh design.

Onitsuka files a lawsuit against Blue Ribbon in Japan, and Knight responds by filing a countersuit in the United States.

Blue Ribbon hires track star Steve Prefontaine as a celebrity endorser and assigns an employee to travel with him nationwide.

Knight convinces retailers to join a Futures program offering steep discounts in exchange for large, nonrefundable advance orders.

Inventor Frank Rudy visits Knight and pitches the idea of injecting air into running shoe soles for better cushioning.

Knight travels to China and secures a deal for Chinese athletes to wear Nike shoes and apparel at the 1984 Olympics.

Prompted by a chance encounter at a movie screening, Knight grabs a legal pad and begins writing the story of Nike.

From a Hawaiian detour early in Knight's travels to the day he sits down to write his memoir, this pool traces the human moments that made Nike possible. It follows the arrival of early loyalists like Jeff Johnson, who opened Blue Ribbon's first retail store, and Bob Woodell, who became one of Knight's most trusted lieutenants despite being in a wheelchair. Personal milestones like the birth of Knight's first son and the creation of the Nike swoosh sit alongside key business moves like the Futures program and the Nike air sole pitch. Track legend Steve Prefontaine takes on the role of brand ambassador, connecting Nike's identity to elite athletic competition. The pool concludes with two landmark events: a deal to put Nike on Chinese athletes at the 1984 Olympics, and Knight's own decision, decades later, to finally tell the story he had lived.

The key people, places, and milestones behind Nike's rise.

Knight spontaneously names his company 'Blue Ribbon' after the award ribbons in his childhood bedroom during his first Onitsuka meeting.

Knight visits the Temple of Athena Nike in Greece and is moved by the word 'nike,' meaning victory in Greek.

A man on the East Coast threatens Knight with legal action, claiming to be Onitsuka's exclusive US distributor.

Knight flies back to Japan and negotiates personally with Mr. Onitsuka, securing the right to continue selling in 13 western states.

Knight sends a memo to Blue Ribbon employees revealing that he has placed a spy inside Onitsuka's operations.

While Kitami uses the restroom during a Portland meeting, Knight steals documents from his briefcase revealing a list of potential new distributors.

Kitami attempts to convince Knight to sell Blue Ribbon outright to Onitsuka during his Portland visit.

Knight addresses his employees honestly after Onitsuka cuts off Blue Ribbon's supply, framing the crisis as a long-awaited opportunity.

After the Onitsuka trial, Knight offers lawyer Rob Strasser a full-time role, making him Blue Ribbon's first in-house counsel.

Knight and Johnson visit a rundown New Hampshire factory and arrange to open a Nike production facility in Exeter.

Following personal tragedies including Prefontaine's death, Bowerman sells most of his ownership stake in Nike to Knight.

Knight is shocked to discover marathon champion Frank Shorter wearing Tiger shoes instead of Nikes at the Montreal Olympics.

Knight receives an unexpected $25 million bill from US Customs claiming Nike severely underpaid import duties on its shoes.

An advisor explains a two-tier stock structure that would let Knight take Nike public without surrendering control of the company.

Phil Knight's son Matthew dies in a scuba diving accident, becoming the greatest personal loss of Knight's life.

This pool follows the pivotal moments of insight, improvisation, and discovery that shaped Nike at every stage of its growth. Knight improvises the Blue Ribbon name on the spot and later draws inspiration from the ancient Greek goddess of victory, establishing a philosophical foundation for the brand. Confrontations with rivals force bold moves, including a daring bluff that wins Blue Ribbon its crucial exclusive US distribution contract with Onitsuka. As tensions with Onitsuka escalate, Knight engages in espionage, steals documents from a rival's briefcase, and rallies his team with an honest speech after the partnership finally collapses. Later turning points include the painful loss of key ally Bowerman, an ambush by US Customs, and the discovery of a stock structure that at last solves the long-standing problem of going public. The pool closes with the epilogue's greatest sorrow: the death of Knight's son Matthew, a loss that casts a long shadow over everything Knight built.