Biography
Phil Knight & family is among the world's most closely watched billionaires from UNITED STATES, with an estimated fortune of $25.6B. The bulk of Phil Knight & family's wealth comes from Nike, closely tied to Nike. Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, Inc., is an American billionaire businessman. His vision and leadership transformed a small shoe distribution business into a global sportswear giant. Born on February 24, 1938, Knight's career began with the co-founding of Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964, later renamed Nike. His dedication to innovation, athlete empowerment, and strategic marketing, including the iconic "Just Do It" campaign, propelled Nike to unprecedented success. Knight's achievements include building a brand with a high net worth, estimated at $30.8 billion, and establishing Nike as a cultural icon, which has been a source of wealth and a legacy in the fashion-retail industry. Key career milestones include Co-founded Blue Ribbon Sports (1964); Nike Founded (1971); Nike went Public (1980); Stepped down as CEO of Nike (2004). This profile documents verified holdings, career milestones, and multi-year net worth history drawn from Forbes rankings, company filings where available, and our editorial methodology. Readers use it to understand how public markets, private company stakes, and major business bets shape one of the largest personal fortunes on record. Wealth estimates move with stock prices, funding rounds, and disclosed transactions—figures on this page are research estimates, not cash balances. We publish year-by-year net worth history when verified data exists, link to primary sources, and update profiles when Forbes Real-Time Billionaires or major filings change the picture materially. For investors and researchers, the most useful reading pairs the headline number with ownership structure, geography, sector exposure, and the multi-year history chart on this page—especially during volatile markets when single-day moves can shift rankings without any operational change at the underlying companies.