Brands include Starter, Team Starter, Asphalt, Shaq, and Dunkman. Nike creates the Exeter Brands Group, a wholly owned subsidiary for athletic footwear and apparel brands for lower price points.Phil Knight steps down as the CEO and President of Nike, but continues as chairman.Nike signs NBA player LeBron James with an unprecedented $87 million endorsement contract.Nike is again (also in 1994) named "Advertiser of the Year" by the Cannes Advertising Festival.For the first time in the company's history, international sales exceed USA sales.Nike acquires once-bankrupt rival Converse for $305 million on July 9.Introduction of the first Nike golf clubs.Nike SB, Nike's Skateboarding line, debuts.Nike become the apparel sponsor of Manchester United until 2010.NikeGO launches, a grassroots initiative to increase physical activity among youths aged 9–15.Nike purchases Hurley International, an action sports clothing company, for an undisclosed amount.Nike Shox cushioning/support system is introduced, initially worn by Vince Carter and others on the US Olympic basketball team.Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike, dies on Dec.Introduction of the first Nike golf balls.The trend of comfortable golf shoes starts. Nike Introduces the first "tennis shoe" style golf shoe into the market.Phil Knight commits Nike to standards for its affiliated manufacturing facilities, including: minimum wage air quality education programs expansion of microloan program factory monitoring and enhanced transparency of Nike's corporate social responsibility practices.Although Wayne Gretzky would eventually wear the all-white Nike skates in his final season, Nike decided to make more traditional skates for their next product line. Fedorov especially became known for his unique "all-white" Nike skates, which were radically different from the normally black standard hockey skates. Nike signs several hockey stars, including Sergei Fedorov and Jeremy Roenick, to endorsement deals to wear their new line of skates, which are noticeably different due to their unique colors and design.Niketown Los Angeles opens in Beverly Hills.Nike causes controversy with its advertising campaign during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta which features the slogan, "You Don't Win Silver - You Lose Gold." Nike's use of this slogan draws harsh criticism from many sources, including - not surprisingly - several former Olympic silver and bronze medalists.Nike signs Tiger Woods soon after he gives up his amateur golf status.Nike signs long-term partnerships with the Brazilian and United States soccer teams.Nike moves into English football, signing a kit (uniform/apparel) deal with Arsenal.Nike had only made hockey jerseys, specifically those of the Edmonton Oilers at the height of Wayne Gretzky-mania, but now began to make all equipment. Nike enters the ice hockey market after acquiring Canstar, the parent company of hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer Hockey.Nike wins Advertiser of the Year at the Cannes Advertising Festival.Nike introduces Reuse-A-Shoe, which collects athletic shoes,.Nike opens its world headquarters in unincorporated Washington County, just west of Portland, on 74 acres (0.3 km²) of land.The first Nike store opens in downtown Portland.They were released to the public in April 1985. Air Jordans were first introduced in 1984 exclusively for Michael Jordan.Nike introduces the Pegasus, the first edition of a successful line of running shoes that continues to this day.Renamed from Blue Ribbon Sports, and debuted the waffle iron trainers invented by Bill Bowerman.Graphic designer Carolyn Davidson created the famous Nike ' Swoosh' logo and sold it to the company for US$35.00.