John Kim 
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame holds an exclusive list of individuals who not only excelled at the game of basketball, but played a major role as contributor to the progression of the game. From James Naismith, who invented the game, to Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, each and every member is selected with thorough consideration and today, September 7th, the Class of 2012 is ready to enter the grail of basketball glory. One of the inductees is none other than Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who blazed the trail for basketball performance footwear with the Nike Blazer and spearheaded the brand’s evolution of design and technology concepts into the technology-infused Nike Hyperdunk+.
Phil Knight’s contributions to the game of basketball have allowed players to be at their optimal strength and performance, thusly giving the NBA and the game of basketball immense popularity and growth over the last few decades. In addition, Nike has built a bridge between these idols of sport with the public audience with inspirational campaigns like ‘Be Like Mike’ and ‘The Kobe System’, giving everyday athletes motivation and confidence to be at the top of their games. Congratulations to Phil Knight and Nike, influential icons of basketball and sport as a whole!
