Nike

All 30 NBA teams will wear the most iconic logo in sports apparel next season.

Nike announced Tuesday that the Jordan Brand will appear on all 30 "Statement Edition" uniforms for the 2020-21 campaign: 

"Giving the brand a ubiquitous presence across the league, the logo will appear on the right shoulder of the jersey and left leg of the short for all 30 Statement Edition uniforms. Each season, the Statement Edition designs set the tone for key matchups and are inspired by NBA teams making a bold statement every time they step onto the court — a natural connection to Jordan Brand's namesake and his approach to the game."

A majority of NBA Statement uniforms will carry over from the 2019-20 season and substitute the existing Nike logo for the Jumpman insignia. The Atlanta Hawks, who introduced new uniforms Monday, are among the few teams making changes to their Statement uniforms.

The Charlotte Hornets, owned by Michael Jordan, have featured the Jumpman logo on their uniforms since Nike took over the NBA apparel deal in 2017. 

Jordan Brand was also featured on the last three All-Star Game jerseys.     

Inclusivity. If you're a girl and you grew up playing basketball, you most likely purchased boys' hoodies and basketball shorts. For as long as the game has been in existence, there's always been a void when it comes to basketball clothing specifically designed for the female body. Now, Mistie Boyd, Nike Basketball apparel manager and former center for the Phoenix Mercury, is spearheading a solution.

"There's an entire culture of needing those pieces," Boyd said.

Swoosh Fly is a basketball apparel collection for women, by women. The collection at its core is centered around creating pieces that fit women's bodies. Nike Basketball apparel designers have long heard from female players frustrated with trying to adapt to men's basketball shorts that really weren't tailored to the female form.

"Swoosh Fly is multidimensional," Boyd told B/R Kicks. "It represents an attitude, it represents a style that she carries with her on and off the court."

The results are promising, based on what some stars at Boyd's old workplace apparently think.

For WNBA star Sue Bird, the line offers an understanding of how women move, evident in how easy it was for her to slip on the Swoosh Fly hoodie over her hair, according to a Nike press release.

"Swoosh Fly is a moment to finally say we have something that's our own," added A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces in the press release. "We don't need to share it with the guys."

Indeed, the new line has won over converts by acknowledging, in its own way, that hoops wear has to work for all players.

"You need to have that one piece of apparel that fits you just right," Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury told Nike. "Swoosh Fly is that—but in an entire collection. And it's so authentic that players like Mistie are helping move this gear forward."

The entire Swoosh Fly women's basketball collection is available now.

Nike released a new ad campaign Friday in the wake of the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. 

The "Don't Do It" campaign urges people to not "turn your back on racism" and "be part of the change" in the world:

Protests have broken out across the country as a result of the deaths of all three individuals. Taylor, an EMT in Kentucky, was shot and killed by police in March when officers were executing a search warrant in a narcotics investigation. 

Per CNN's Kay Jones, Carma Hassan and Leah Asmelash, Taylor's mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police officers involved on the grounds that they "should have called off their search of Taylor's apartment because a suspect police were looking for had already been arrested by other officers executing a warrant at a separate location."

Arbery was shot and killed in Georgia's Brunswick neighborhood in February when two men confronted him while he was out jogging. The shooting gained national attention earlier this month when video footage was released online. 

Floyd died Monday in Minneapolis when a police officer pressed his knee into the back of Floyd's neck after he was put in handcuffs and was lying face down on the ground. The four officers involved were fired by the department. 

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced on Friday that Derek Chauvin, the officer who pressed his knee into Floyd's neck, was arrested and faces charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter. 

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James spread a positive message amid the coronavirus pandemic in an ad released by Nike on Saturday.

James narrated the ad, which featured him and other Nike athletes, such as Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Naomi Osaka facing adversity before bouncing back:

LeBron closed the ad by saying: "We are never too far down to come back."

The ad applies not only to athletes and sports fans, but also to society since the COVID-19 outbreak has negatively impacted many from a physical, emotional and financial perspective.

Nike's timing was ideal since some sports are starting to return and others could be on the precipice of doing so.

NASCAR began holding races last week without fans in attendance, and the German Bundesliga resumed soccer matches as well.

Discussions between Major League Baseball owners and players have been held about finding a way to start the 2020 season.

On Saturday, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass announced that the league has begun "exploratory conversations" with the Walt Disney Company about resuming the 2019-20 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, at some point.

If that happens, James and the Lakers will be in a strong position, since they own the best record in the Western Conference at 49-19 and will be among the top contenders to win the NBA championship.    

Michael Jordan has been synonymous with Nike for 35 years, but there was a time when a foot injury nearly ended their partnership. 

Per ESPN's Wright Thompson, Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield noted that Jordan "soured" on the brand early in the 1985-86 season when he suffered a broken foot in the Chicago Bulls' game against the Golden State Warriors. 

"Phil Knight was pretty well convinced that Michael was gonna leave Nike," Hatfield said. "Phil was very, very concerned. I think he thought for sure we had lost him. There was this one last meeting. It was in this hotel."

Thompson noted Jordan was listening to offers from other shoe companies, with those brands "whispering in his ear that Nike didn't have the design chops or the marketing expertise to actually deliver on the forest of promises it had made him."

Hatfield noted it was after meeting with Jordan at a tailor shop where Jordan was being fitted for a new suit that he went back to his home in Portland to work "around the clock" on a new sneaker design. 

As executives at Nike were waiting to have that last meeting, Hatfield recalled everyone waiting "for four hours" for Jordan to show up because he was out playing golf. 

"From what I understand, Michael was out on the golf course with some prospective partners, and Howard (White, a Nike employee) was with them but he was trying to get Michael to leave the golf course and go to the meeting," Hatfield said.

According to Thompson, when Jordan finally arrived, Tinker pulled out the Air Jordan III, which changed "the whole tenor of the meetings, as did the models who came through wearing the corresponding apparel, and the rest is history."

Hatfield also recalled that Jordan's father played a role in keeping his son under the Nike umbrella. James Jordan Sr. told Michael his actions on the day of the meeting were "embarrassing to your mother and I" and Nike's commitment to him was apparent because of how long it waited for him to show up. 

As explained in The Last Dance, Jordan initially planned to sign a marketing deal with Adidas or Converse coming out of college until his mother, Deloris Jordan, pushed him to take a meeting with Nike. 

"My mother said, 'You're going to go listen (to Nike's pitch). You may not like it, but you're gonna go listen,'" Jordan said in Episode 5 of the documentary series (h/t Robby Kalland of Dime). "And she made me get on that plane and go listen. I go into that meeting, not wanting to be there. Nike made this big pitch, and my father said, 'You have to be a fool not to take this deal. It's a great deal.'"

Jordan wound up missing 64 games during the 1985-86 season due to the broken foot. It was the only time in his 13 years with the Chicago Bulls that he missed more than four games in a season due to an injury. 

The Air Jordan III is one of the most iconic basketball shoes of all time. The sneaker was featured in the famous commercials with Spike Lee as his Do The Right Thing character Mars Blackmon. 

Since helping keep Jordan with Nike 35 years ago, Hatfield has been credited with designing the Air Jordan III through XV.

Nike announced plans to produce personal protective equipment Tuesday, including full-face shields and powered, air-purifying respirator lenses to aid in protection against the coronavirus.

The company, which is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, will be working with Oregon Health & Science University, with OHSU's workers becoming the first field testers of the equipment. 

Miko Enomoto, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at OHSU, issued a statement in the release:

"Without proper facial protection, healthcare workers are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, which could place substantial strain on the healthcare workforce in the months ahead. The full-face shields help protect healthcare workers’ faces and also help to prolong the length we can safely use a surgical or N95 mask. Nike's generous response to the COVID-19 crisis helps to instill an added layer of confidence and support for healthcare workers, that we can safely carry out the jobs we were born to do."

Nike delivered the first shipment of personal protective equipment to OHSU on April 3. The apparel company plans to use its production resources to manufacture large quantities of masks, which will include a reimagining of Nike Air soles.

Danny Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, president, OHSU, also issued a statement:

"OHSU's mission is to support the health and well-being of all Oregonians, and we can't do that without adequate supplies of personal protective equipment. I've been so inspired by how our community has united to meet this health crisis. We are forever grateful to the commitment of our colleagues at Nike, as their dedication to our united effort will help save lives."

During a conference on March 24, CEO John Donahoe announced Nike would be prototyping PPE such as face shields, per Shoshy Ciment of Business Insider.  

Hospitals around the country have experienced a shortage of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been more than 380,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. and 11,931 deaths.    

Nike has announced that all stores in the United States will close in an effort to contain the coronavirus, according to CNBC's Lauren Thomas on Sunday morning.

An anonymous spokeswoman confirmed to Thomas that "workers will still be paid in full during this time off."

Thomas provided the full statement from Nike:

"The well-being of our teammates and consumers is our top priority so we have decided to close our stores in multiple countries around the world including in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand to limit the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). These closures will go into effect from Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. Customers can continue to shop on Nike.com and on our Nike apps. 

"We are taking additional steps in other Nike-managed facilities, including the option to work from home, staggered work schedules, social distancing and additional safety and cleaning steps to help protect and support our teammates.

"Our Nike-owned stores in South Korea, Japan, most of China and in many other countries are currently open and will continue their normal operations."

Nike's move to temporarily shut down comes after Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Saturday that all stores outside the Greater China area will be closed until March 27:

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame will also be closed to the public. Cooperstown announced its decision on Saturday, and the new guidelines will be enforced beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday with further information forthcoming on March 22.

ESPN's Adam Schefter broke news regarding the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Elsewhere, the Wynn Las Vegas confirmed to ESPN's David Purdum on Friday that its sportsbook and poker room "will close for an undetermined amount of time beginning Sunday." The venue became the first Nevada casino to temporarily cease operations.

The NBA, NHL and MLS each suspended its season while MLB suspended spring training and delayed Opening Day at least two weeks. The NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments were also cancelled.

CNN's latest numbers show 152,428 confirmed coronavirus infections worldwide. The United States' 1,678 cases are the eighth most of any affected country. There have been 5,720 deaths worldwide.

As part of his alleged plan to extort the apparel company, Michael Avenatti threatened Nike that its valuation could drop by $5 billion or $6 billion if it failed to meet his demands, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

Avenatti pleaded not guilty in December to charges he attempted to get $25 million from Nike in return for suppressing information about improper payments made to college athletes.

The conversation between Avenatti and Nike's representatives was recorded. At one point during the discussion, he said he'd "go take $10 billion dollars off your market cap."

The AP reported his move came amid financial difficulties: "At the time, prosecutors say, Avenatti faced at least $11 million in debts. His former law firm office manager testified that finances were so desperate last March that his several employees had been evicted from their $50,000-a-month offices and were working from their homes."

Avenatti first announced last March he intended to hold a press conference detailing the information he discovered about Nike:

However, he was subsequently arrested, with prosecutors laying out the allegations of extortion.

Gary Franklin, a youth basketball coach who hired Avenatti, testified in the trial and told jurors he "never wanted to go public or have any press conference at all" and merely wanted to discover any wrongdoing at Nike, per Reuters' Jonathan Stempel.

Franklin also said he was hopeful Nike would return as a sponsor for his amateur basketball league. Avenatti allegedly never told his client of his attempts to first receive a monetary payment before addressing that concern.

Nike is looking into allegations of physical and mental abuse made by former distance runner Mary Cain against the head coach of the company's now-defunct Oregon Project. 

Speaking to the New York Times, Cain said she was pressured by Alberto Salazar to become "thinner, and thinner, and thinner" and was publicly shamed in front of teammates if she didn't hit specific weight targets. 

Cain added Nike "endorsed" Salazar's behavior. Salazar denied the allegations in an email to the Times.

"We take the allegations extremely seriously and will launch an immediate investigation to hear from former Oregon Project athletes," Nike said in a statement, via ESPN. "At Nike we seek to always put the athlete at the center of everything we do, and these allegations are completely inconsistent with our values."

Cain, 23, joined the Nike Oregon Project in 2013 after becoming the youngest athlete ever to run in the final of the 1500 meters at the IAAF World Championships. 

She noted the pressure she felt to lose weight caused her physical problems, including losing her period for three years and making her susceptible to broken bones. Cain added that she had suicidal thoughts and self-harmed.

The Oregon Project was created in 2001 as a way to develop and train distance runners. Salazar served as head coach until September 2019, when he received a four-year ban from the United States Anti-Doping Agency for "orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct."

Nike shut down the Oregon Project on Oct. 10 in the wake of Salazar's ban. 

Cain called on Nike to be held accountable for a "systemic crisis" that causes young girls' bodies to be "ruined by an emotionally and physically abusive system."