Nike experienced "record engagement" after making Colin Kaepernick the face of its "Just Do It" 30th anniversary campaign, but according to co-founder Phil Knight, there was some hesitation to run the ad at first.
Speaking at the Stanford Graduate School of Business last month, Knight recalled the first time Nike's advertisement department showed the ad to him and CEO Mark Parker.
"Parker looked at it and went, 'Gulp,'" Knight said, according to Bill Snyder of Fast Company. "And they said, 'Well, here's the deal. If we're going to get this in time for the campaign, you've got 24 hours.'"
Knight ultimately gave his approval, in part because of a conversation he had with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James weeks earlier in which he expressed concern over his grandsons getting their driver's licenses. James told Knight he was also worried about his son starting to drive, fearing he may get shot by a police officer.
"I thought of the top 100 worries I have, and that doesn't make my list. That was a real eye-opener," Knight said.
James has been vocal in his support of Kaepernick, telling reporters at NBA All-Star Weekend he hopes the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback received "a hell of a lot of money" from his settlement with the NFL.
As for the negative reaction to the Kaepernick ad, Knight said he isn't bothered by it: "You can't try and go down the middle of the road. You have to take a stand on something, which is ultimately I think why the Kaepernick ad worked."
