After a few years of being Onitsuka's sole distributor in the US, a rise in competition led Knight and Bowerman to think about how they would do things differently. The companies drifted away from one another as Blue Ribbon Sports became Nike in 1971 and prepared to launch their own trainer.

Bowerman had always created prototype trainers for the athletes he coach. After pulling apart pairs of Onitsuka Tiger running shoes and thinking of ways he would do things differently, he started working on what would become the first ever Nike sneaker.

The first Nike shoe was nicknamed the 'Moon Shoe' and was made in Bowerman's waffle iron. This waffle sole design came into fruition after Bill Bowerman was eating breakfast and wondering if the grooves in his waffle would work for additional traction when playing sports. After a few test runs of the waffle iron, the Waffle Trainer was eventually born and found almost immediate success due to its grippy and performance-driven design. This first prototype model was technically the first Nike shoe and sold at Sotheby's for almost $450,000.

The first commercial Nike shoe was a variation of the 'Moon Shoe' with a more refined design. The shoe would go on to be called the Nike Waffle Racer and was first handed out to athletes at US track events.

The Cortez has a confusing past, as it was originally designed and produced by Onitsuka Co. before Knight and Bowerman decided to release their own version under the name Nike. When Onitsuka Co. found out about Nike selling the Cortez model, the issue escalated and ended in a court battle. The argument was settled in court, with the judge ruling that both brands could sell their own iteration of the Cortez under their name.

In 1982, Nike took on Weiden+Kennedy as its global advertising agency to further its push into other territories. While creating many print and television advertisements during the 80s, co-found of the group Dan Weiden eventually came up with the famous slogan "Just Do It" for a 1988 campaign. Oddly enough, Weiden credits murderer Gary Gilmore for the saying due to his famous line of "Lets do it" prior to his execution. This saying would eventually be chosen by Advertising Age as one of the top 5 slogans of the 20th century.

The original Air Jordan 1 sneakers were designed exclusively for Michael Jordan in late 1984 and would eventually go on general sale in April of 1985. The shoe itself featured a high-top construction, the famous Nike Swoosh and a black/red "Bred" colourway.

In 1987, Nike launched a new range of sneakers starting with the Air Max 1. These sneakers were designed primarily by Tinker Hatfield and featured the first physical encapsulation of air within their cushioned midsoles. The original colourway arrived in a University Red/White colourway, and to this day is a silhouette desired by sneakerheads around the world even today.

Furthering on with the 1990s efforts, Nike opened its first range of Niketown chain stores, the first of which arrived in Portland Oregon. These distinct stores celebrated some of Nike's sponsored athletes such as Micheal Jordan while offering a full range of exclusive Nike products for all sorts of sports. In 1996, Nike signed famed golfing superstar Tiger Woods to their roster. This move helped Nike dive deeper into new territory within golf and spurred a fresh collection of fans across the globe.

With further expansion in mind and Michael Jordan becoming a household name, in 2003 Nike decided to sign basketball legend Lebron James and the late and great Kobe Bryant to their roster. This push into basketball would solidify the brand as the leading shoe sponsor within the NBA. The next year, Co-founder Phil Knight would step down as tee chairman of Nike but retain a chairman role. He would be succeeded by William Perez, an American businessman, but Perez would only last 2 years in the role due to on-going disagreements with Knight on how the business was ran. In 2005, Nike would sign tennis player Rafael Nadal for sponsorship and eventually his own range of clothing apparel.

In 2008, Nike would acquire English brand Umbro, a brand mostly known for its famous football kits for $580 million. This move would further help Nike's takeover of the football market and expand its existing range of football apparel and sports equipment. In 2012 and 2015, Nike would become the official supplier of both the NFL and NBA, ensuring all kits and uniforms worn by players, officials and personal.

As it stands in 2026, Nike, Inc. exists as the biggest and largest supplier of athletic shoes, apparel and other sporting equipment. The group also owns other well-known brands such as Jordan and Converse.