Nike’s first “campus” really did start in Phil Knight’s parents’ basement, with around 300 pairs of shoes stacked in a corner and a fledgling business run out of a car and a phone line. Six decades later, that scrappy setup has evolved into the Philip H. Knight Campus, a 400 plus acre world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, built to feel like the ultimate college style sports campus.
From basement stockroom to rolling campus
In the early 1960s, Knight and coach Bill Bowerman launched what was then Blue Ribbon Sports, importing running shoes and selling them at track meets and out of the trunk of Knight’s car. Knight has recalled how those first 300 pairs of shoes were stored in his parents’ basement, with orders handled by phone and paperwork done on a small desk nearby.
As the company grew through the 1970s and 1980s, Nike scattered across Portland and its suburbs, operating from a patchwork of rented offices and warehouses before deciding it needed a single, purpose built headquarters that matched its ambitions. That led to the decision to buy land near Beaverton and imagine what a “global home of sport” should look and feel like.
Designing a place people want to be
When Nike started planning its world headquarters in the late 1980s, Phil Knight and his team were clear that they did not want a traditional corporate office park. “We wanted a campus atmosphere because everybody is a junior in college at heart… a place where you could get your work done, but also a place you wanted to be,” Knight told the Department of Nike Archives.
That philosophy shaped everything from the layout to the landscaping. Instead of one monolithic tower, Nike built a network of mid rise buildings organized around walking paths, sports fields and water features, creating an environment that feels closer to a university than a typical headquarters.
Inside the Philip H. Knight Campus today
Now officially named the Philip H. Knight Campus, Nike’s world headquarters spans roughly 400 acres and includes more than 75 buildings, many named after the athletes who helped define the brand. The campus is located at One Bowerman Drive, Beaverton, Oregon, surrounded by Pacific Northwest greenery and a network of trails and roads.
Some of the most distinctive features include:
- Athlete named buildingssuch as the LeBron James Innovation Center (home to the Nike Sport Research Lab) and the Serena Williams Building, Nike’s largest design hub.
- Extensive sports and wellness facilities, from an Olympic sized swimming pool and full size basketball court to soccer pitches, running tracks, bike paths and state of the art fitness centers open to employees.
- On campus cafés, dining spaces, a Japanese garden and outdoor plazas, designed to encourage informal meetings and a constant flow of movement between buildings.
More than 11,000 employees work on the campus, with the design intended to keep them close to the sports and athletes that inspire Nike’s products.
Renaming the headquarters for Phil Knight
In October 2025, Nike announced that its world headquarters would be officially renamed the Philip H. Knight Campus, honoring the company’s co founder and first employee. President and CEO Elliott Hill said the change was meant as “a tribute to Knight’s ongoing legacy” and a daily reminder of the founder’s mindset that still guides Nike’s culture.
The rebrand came as the campus completed a major expansion phase, including the opening of the LeBron James Innovation Center in 2021 and the Serena Williams Building in 2022, further reinforcing Beaverton as Nike’s global creative and innovation hub.
