Lifestyle & Entertainment Juice 11 Things Hardly Anyone Knows About Nike Nike turned 50 this year. To celebrate, UK gym My Fitness Boutique has created this infographic to celebrate its five decades in business. We’ve picked out some of the more interesting factlets from the infographic and a few snippets from around the web many people may never have known about the world’s most famous sports brand. 1. Nike was originally named Blue Ribbon Sports and was founded in 1964 and initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger (now known as ASICS). It officially become Nike Inc. in 1971. 2. The company was founded with just $1,200 in the bank. It was created by Bill Bowerman — a track and field coach — and Phil Knight, a middle distance runner from Portland who was enrolled in the University of Oregon. 3. Knight had originally wanted to call the company “Dimension 6.” The Nike name comes from the Greek goddess of victory, and it’s pronounced “ny’-kee.”

Nike’s first employee, Jeff Johnson, came up with the name. best shoe cleaner for nike4. The first Nike shoes were made inside a waffle iron. toddler nike shoes size 11Bowerman’s first eureka moment for footwear innovation came in 1971 when he and his wife were making waffles for breakfast: it sparked an idea for a grooved pattern on the sole of trainers to help athletes grip running tracks. nike soccer shoes india pricesIt spawned the “Nike Waffle Trainer,” which was patented in 1974 (at the expense of his wife Barbara’s waffle iron), Nike explains on its press site. 5. The Nike “swoosh” was designed by Portland State University student Carolyn Davidson, for just $35 (just over $200 in today’s currency).

At a later stage she was given stock which is now worth over $640,000. 6. The slogan “Just Do It” was inspired by serial killer Gary Gilmore who said “Let’s do it” just before he was executed by a firing squad in 1977. The revelation was made in 2009 documentary about advertising called “Art & Copy”. 7. The first “Just Do It” campaign launched in 1988. The ad featured Walt Stack, a then-80-year-old running icon lumbering across the Golden Great Bridge. 8. Despite the fact that he hasn’t played professionally since 2003, Michael Jordan still reportedly earns $60 million annually in royalties from Nike each year, according to Forbes.  That makes him the athlete with — by far — the biggest Nike endorsement deal. 9. Romanian tennis professional Ilie Nastase, “the Bucharest Buffoon,” was the first athlete to sign an endorsement contract with Nike, in 1972. Nastase was a gifted tennis player but also became infamous for his erratic temperament and was lumped with several fines, suspensions and disqualifications throughout his career.

10. Nike’s 1987 ad for the Air Max shoes was soundtracked by The Beatles’ “Revolution” — the first time a Beatles song had ever been used in a TV commercial, according to the Career in Sports book. 11. The World’s largest Nike store is not in its US homeland but on London’s Oxford Street. It cost £10.5m to build the store, which spans across three levels and roughly 42,000 ft. It was constructed around the theme of a town square.Nike KD 7 (Release Dates & Photos) We’re yet to see Kevin Durant lace up his Nike KD 7 in season yet, but given his recent foot woes and injuries, the rest of the league has held the man’s signature sneaker ... The Kentucky Wildcats are dominating the collegiate landscape currently, and in honor of their efforts they just received a brand new KD 7 PE. Note that these aren’t a NIKEiD cre... The first confirmed Nike KD 7 release is the EXT-trim “Longhorn State”, which calls back to Durant’s time in Austin, TX. Featuring a sublime mix of pony hair uppers t...

The Nike KD 7 is getting a bit on the wild side as we get a first look at a White/Metallic Gold-Pink Pow-Pure Platinum colorway that may be up the upcoming Aunt Pearl release in 2015. Back in September, NBA Live 15 gave us a preview of their incredibly detailed Sneaker Preview featuring near-photo realistic depictions of your favorite colorways. From KD 7s, LeBron ... Now a yearly tradition from Nike Basketball, the Christmas edition of Kevin Durant’s signature basketball shoe this year takes inspiration from a holiday tradition, eggnog. Kevin Durant only spent a a couple of semesters at the University of Texas, but his influence remains, having won the Naismith Player of the Year award in his only collegiate season. 2014 was quite a momentous year for Kevin Durant, who earned his first-ever NBA MVP and stood in the middle of a heavy bidding war between a titan and growing powerhouse in the footwea...This holiday-themed KD 7 is ready to be poured out on December 26th, when the entire Nike Basketball Christmas Collection hits stores after a full display in NBA games ...

The Legend Blue 11s are such a coveted commodity that Nike switched up their release schedule over the weekend and will be dropping all of their other sneakers today, December 19th to ... The Nike KD 7 “Light Lacquer Blue” arrives at retailers on January 15th. It’s been a while since the initial batch of KD 7s held us down in the middle of 2014. Lou Williams laced up another OVO PE on Drake Night, Dion Waiters pushed aside any residual ill will towards Kyrie from last season by lacing up the Nike Kyrie 1 Dream, and the Warrior... Kevin Durant was certainly born and bred in PG County, but the world was given a real look at his incredible talent when he resided in Austin, TX. As a member of the Texas Longhorns, K... Officially dubbed the “Wild West” colorway by Nike, most of us have come to know this latest look for the KD 7 as simply “Texas”; the continuation of the yearly... Christmas begins at 2:30pm on December 25th when the Oklahoma City Thunder face off against the San Antonio Spurs.