Nike
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FILE PHOTO: Feb 20, 2019; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts after falling during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
February 22, 2019
Nike’s stock price slid 1.05 percent Thursday as the company faced a social media backlash after Duke freshman star forward Zion Williamson sustained a knee injury when his shoe split apart Wednesday night.
Shares in Nike Inc. were down as much as 1.7 percent before rebounding a bit.
Williamson was injured 30 seconds into the game when he planted his left foot while dribbling near the top of the key. His left shoe ripped apart down the middle of the sole as he sprawled awkwardly to the ground. He did not return to the highly anticipated matchup, and eighth-ranked North Carolina defeated the top-ranked Blue Devils, 88-72.
After an MRI exam Thursday, Williamson was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right knee sprain, and he is listed as day-to-day. Williamson was wearing the Nike PG 2.5, a Paul George-themed model.
–If Williamson is picked outside of the NBA draft lottery because of the knee injury, he could reportedly cash in an $8 million loss of value insurance policy.
Darren Rovell of The Action Network reported the star forward took out a policy with International Specialty Insurance that kicks in if he is selected 16th or later in June’s draft.
The 6-foot-7, 285-pound freshman has been projected by most experts as the No. 1 overall pick in the June NBA draft.
–Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a pedestrian while driving on Interstate 690 late Wednesday night.
The 74-year-old Boeheim is cooperating with authorities and reported the accident to police, according to Syracuse.com. Jorge Jimenez, 51, of Syracuse, was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
According to the police investigation, Jimenez was a passenger in a vehicle that lost control on the road and struck a guardrail. He stepped out of the car and was walking on the side of the highway when he was hit at 11:22 p.m. Boeheim saw the disabled vehicle in the road and tried to avoid it, police said.
–Nebraska basketball coach Tim Miles took to social media to apologize for a “flippant remark” he made earlier this week about the possibility of being fired by the school.
Miles said on a podcast Sunday that “I’m still a millionaire” if Nebraska decides to fire him after a disappointing season in which the Cornhuskers sit near the bottom of the Big Ten standings. The remark did not go over well in Lincoln.
The Cornhuskers are 15-12, 5-11 after returning four starters from a team that finished fourth in the Big Ten last year. Nebraska made the NCAA Tournament just once in Miles’ first six seasons.
–Field Level Media
Source: OANN
A new jersey celebrating NFL quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick sold out hours after it was put on sale, Nike confirmed.
Kaepernick himself posted an image on Instagram late Wednesday, the same day the black jersey with his old number 7 went on sale.
"The Nike Kaepernick Icon Jersey is out of stock! Thank you to everyone that took the time out of their day to pick one up. I am humbled and appreciate all your continued support. Check the link in the bio to be notified for the next drop!" Kaepernick wrote.
Nike said "the Kaepernick Icon Jersey is a celebration of those who seek truth in their communities, and those who remain true to themselves."
A link to the product page redirects to the url kaepernick.nofyme.com. Visitors are asked to provide their mobile phone number in order to receive text messages when Kaepernick products, presumably made by Nike, are available.
Kaepernick gained notoriety in 2016 after he refused to stand for the National Anthem before games as he protested perceived injustices to the black community. He became a free agent after that season but no team has signed him.
Source: NewsMax America
Feb 20, 2019; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts after falling during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
February 21, 2019
By Melissa Fares and Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Nike Inc sneaker worn by a college basketball superstar split in half less than a minute into a highly anticipated game between Duke University and North Carolina, prompting an outcry on social media as the company sought to figure out what caused the malfunction.
Zion Williamson, a 6-foot-7-inch freshman forward for the Duke Blue Devils who is anticipated to be the top 2019 NBA Draft pick, suffered a mild sprain to his right knee because of the incident, according to his coach Mike Krzyzewski.
A closeup video replay showed Williamson slipping and crumpling to the ground, clutching his knee in pain. His left shoe is seen split in half, with part of the sole ripped off the base of the sneaker.
Williamson did not return to play in the match-up, which ended with No. 1-ranked Duke losing 72-88 to the No. 8-ranked Tar Heels team.
“We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery,” Nike said in a statement.
“The quality and performance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue.”
Shares of the sportswear maker were down more than 1 percent in afternoon trading Thursday, a day after the incident, wiping off some $1.46 billion from Nike’s market capitalization since Wednesday’s close.
Oppenheimer analyst Brian Nagel said in a note he was optimistic “any lasting damage to the company and its shares will prove minimal.”
Williamson was wearing the Nike PG 2.5 basketball shoe when he was injured, Nike confirmed to Reuters in an email.
The line of sneakers, launched in summer of 2018, sells for $95-$105 on Nike’s website.
The shoe received mixed reviews and a rating of 4 out of 5 stars on Nike.com as of Thursday.
Nike is Duke’s exclusive supplier of uniforms, shoes and apparel under a 12-year contract that was extended in 2015 and has had an exclusive deal with the private university since 1992, ESPN reported.
The company’s latest results showed signs of a rebound as it speeds up new product launches and expands partnerships with online retailers. The Beaverton, Oregon-based company has forecast sales growth for 2019 approaching low double digits.
Williamson, who averaged 21.6 points a game, has been tipped as the “next Lebron James” and is expected to be selected first in the NBA Draft this June.
Krzyzewski said it was unclear how long Williamson would be out because of the injury.
Former President Barack Obama, director Spike Lee and star NFL running back Todd Gurley attended the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the home court of the Blue Devils.
A video from the match posted on Twitter showed Obama sitting courtside, expressing shock and mouthing the words, “his shoe broke!”
The incident lit up social media, with celebrities and some of basketball’s biggest stars expressing shock and dismay.
“Hope young fella is ok!” tweeted LeBron James (@KingJames) on Wednesday. “Literally blew thru his [shoe],” he added, using a shoe emoji.
“Again let’s remember all the money that went into this game…. and these players get none of it,” Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell), a former first-round NBA draft pick and current guard for the Utah Jazz, tweeted on Wednesday. “And now Zion gets hurt… something has to change.”
This is not the first time Nike has faced controversy over the craftsmanship of its sportswear. In 2017, the company faced a backlash when several NBA jerseys worn by basketball stars, including James, ripped apart.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee, Siddharth Cavale and Aishwarya Venugopal in Bangalore, Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris, and Melissa Fares, Amy Tennery and April Joyner in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr and Bernadette Baum)
Source: OANN
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