Less than a week after assuming control of Nike, president and CEO Elliott Hill has made his first public comments.
Shortly after the Swoosh announced it had extended its apparel and uniform contract with the WNBA, the NBA and the NBA G League on Monday, Hill was featured on a panel at Nike’s headquarters in New York City. He was joined by Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, as well as NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo via Zoom. The conversation was moderated by ESPN and MSG basketball analyst Monica McNutt.
During the panel, Hill — a company veteran of 32 years — discussed Nike’s evolving role in basketball, as well as potential barriers to progress.
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Below is what Hill shared on stage at Nike’s NYC headquarters, edited for clarity.
On the New York Liberty’s WNBA Finals Win
“The Liberty fans, if there is such a thing as a sixth player, without question I think it was the Liberty fans. The atmosphere in the building last night [Oct. 20] was electric, it was loud, it was fun, it was real. There’s no question in my mind they helped will them to victory.”
Nike’s Role in the Growth of Basketball
“For the last 50-plus years, Nike has been very much about putting the athlete at the center of the conversation. That helps drive the innovation around product and storytelling, etc., so we’ll continue to do that. Nike has always been about growth and growing sport around the world, and when we do that, we grow the industry, we make the industry bigger, and we’ll continue to do that. As it relates to our partnership, it’s very much in the same vein. We’re going to put the athlete — whether it’s the elite athlete or the everyday athlete or the fan — at the center and try to extend the game of basketball beyond the elite athlete to grassroots, men’s, women’s, boys, girls, different formats, three-on-three. You can go down the list. International is a big piece of how we grow the game of basketball, and it is at the core of what we continue to talk about. And I would add moving beyond just on court to lifestyle and the culture of basketball, it’s a tremendous opportunity for both of us to continue to grow the game of basketball.”
Barriers to Progress
“Sometimes we set our own barriers. We talk a lot about human potential at Nike. We all see the potential of the game, and I think we inadvertently maybe set some some of the boundaries around it. I think we — and I speak of our two companies and the partnership we have and all the brands that we have here — have to treat ourselves much like an athlete, and to continue to push ourselves to think differently, to get better, to put that athlete and that consumer at the center of everything that we do. If we can do that, we’ll come up with new and interesting ways to celebrate the game, move the game forward and I think help grow the game globally.”
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
