Ask a former NIKE Basketball employee...

I worked in the following categories in Texas and Oregon (NWHQ):  sports marketing, research and development, and retail.

- When I was with NIKE, several years ago, releases weren't really a source of controversy yet.  I didn't work in that area first hand, so I can't speak from personal experience.  For what it's worth, I think they're making progress with the new policies in an effort to create a safer environment at stores.  I'm not sure what really could be done to eliminate resellers entirely, but I wear a size 16 and I haven't been able to purchase a new shoe on the release date in a long time.  The secondary market is just an annoying reality of supply and demand economics. 

- Yes, NIKE Basketball and Brand Jordan do share R&D.  Although each brand has a separate developers and designers, they often collaborate.  And footwear testers play in both brands.  The higher profile products, such as Air Jordans or statement level NIKE shoes are frequently tested in more controlled environments like the Bo on campus (these are called "dynamic" session) or they are assigned to trusted, veteran individuals or teams.  This makes sense because technologies such as Hyper, Lunar, and Flywire are utilized by both brands.

- No, I wasn't an EKIN but I worked with several of them while starting out in retail.

- I've helped a few NTers with NIKE job searches and I can write a detailed response including my personal story tomorrow.  For now, get a college degree and look for summer internships - I did two college internships after working retail for a few years.  Find out who the reps are in your area and email them.  ALL NIKE AND BRAND JORDAN EMAIL ADDRESSES ARE firstname.lastname@nike.com.  Then offer to VOLUNTEER with local NIKE events, such as camps, clinics, and marathons. 

- Regarding servers, I didn't work with nike.com, but I feel your pain.  It seems like the industry global leader could afford the necessary investment.  I assume it's a cost/benefits decision.  If any of you know Retrokid, last I heard he was working for nike.com.  I don't feel comfortable giving out his name and email, but you can find it if you dig online a little bit.

- There are a few friends I still keep in touch with on campus.  I'm actually an elementary school teacher now, so I didn't use those contacts.  I do still collect shoes and volunteer coach for NIKE Basketball camps.

- I wear a size 16 and I know how hard it is to find shoes.  From a brick and mortar retail perspective, it's not cost effective to stock anything above a 15 that will take up valuable space due to slow turnover.  I can send you a message with the websites I use for kicks and maybe we can exchange a list of personal inventories for a potential trade.

Woke up to a lot of questions .

- Rock, I was with NIKE from about 1996 - 2002.  And you're right -  there have been many changes in the decade since I was in Beaverton.  I've tried to preface my answers to clarify that.  If anyone notices information that is outdated or inaccurate, feel free to correct me. 

- In regards to my collection:  At its peak, I owned about 250 shoes, including 100 - 150 different NBA pro make-ups (player exclusives).  For a while I was able to visit a friend in sports marketing and grab most of the surplus shoes in my size at the end of each NBA season (15.5 - 16).  Believe it or not, they used to sell leftover player exclusives at the Portland Nike Outlet on MLK and on a card table in the back of the Employee Store for $10 each.  It's a little more difficult to get them now.  I only collected in my size, so I had a lot of stuff from Pippen, Duncan, Finley, VC, Reef, etc...

- I honestly didn't encounter any "a-holes" on campus, but there was one situation that bothered me.  I was called into the office of a category manager and questioned about the player exclusives I was wearing to work.  Yikes!  I explained the circumstances under which I had acquired the shoes and immediately offered to return them if it was a problem.  They didn't make me give them back.  It just seemed like they were busting my chops for being a new guy and having what little connections I had at the time.  I guess there were more senior employees that were used to getting the hook up first.  But I learned that the protocols and processes were different once you were actually on campus.

- I have a few favorite moments.  I got to tour Tinker's design studio.  I received an unexpected giant shipping carton of TWELVE Jordan player exclusives at one time.  I was a volunteer coach for the Special Olympics on campus.  I dated an olympic gold medalist and she was taller than me (6'8").  The business and personal conversations with designers, developers, and non-employees like Russ Bengston from SLAM.

- I ended up leaving NIKE because my contract ended and there was a hiring freeze in several categories.  If I remember correctly, there was mandatory wait time of six months before you could re-apply for the same position.  I eventually returned home to Texas, finished my undergrad, and worked in student services for some local universities and medical schools. 

- I appreciate the concerns about confidentiality.  It's not my intention to reveal any propietary information or trade secrets.  Just trying to share my experiences and knowledge.   

Here is a chronological list of my positions:

- Retail Concept Shop Specialist
- Footwear Focus Group Member
- Basketball Sports Marketing Intern (Texas)
- Basketball Sports Marketing Intern (Oregon)
- Hoops Specialist (NIKETOWN)
- Test Coordinator

- Viewing shoes that haven't released yet is going to be difficult unless you work for a store with a NIKE account.  Reps used to give clinics where they would show samples of advance product, but it's my understanding that the focus now is what's currently in the store as opposed to what's coming out.  There used to be a lot of threads about sample sales as recently as a few years ago, but that seems to have stopped.  Does anyone out there know if those still happen?  The only place I've seen samples in person within the past five years is on the hash walls in NIKE Outlets and Clearance Stores.  Reps also used to be allowed to sell their sales samples (usually size 9 and 13) to approved mom and pop stores (like Active Athlete in Houston) but I don't know if NIKE still does that.  Sorry I couldn't be of more help in this area.

 

 

- The pay was competitive, but I was never at a really high pay level.  I relocated across the country for an internship to see if I could make it on campus and land my dream job.

- I'll search my archives to see if I can find more pictures of my collection.

 

I got these OG AJ III from a guy in NIKE Netherlands who assured me they were worn by Scottie Pippen.

- I assume the employment applications for NIKE retail are online now, but I would definitely recommend speaking to a manager in person.  Just introduce yourself, leave a physical copy of  a cover letter and/or  resume, and thank them for their time.  You have to promote yourself in a courteous, appropriate manner.