Shoe Dog cover art

Shoe Dog

A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of 900K+ titles.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto-renews for $8.99/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Shoe Dog

Written by: Phil Knight
Narrated by: Norbert Leo Butz
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $33.29

Buy Now for $33.29

About this listen

 In this instant and tenacious New York Times bestseller, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight “offers a rare and revealing look at the notoriously media-shy man behind the swoosh” (Booklist, starred review), illuminating his company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.

Bill Gates named Shoe Dog one of his five favorite books of the year and called it “an amazing tale, a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice. Phil Knight opens up in ways few CEOs are willing to do.”

Fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his car in 1963, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world.

But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. In Shoe Dog, he tells his story at last. At twenty-four, Knight decides that rather than work for a big corporation, he will create something all his own, new, dynamic, different. He details the many risks he encountered, the crushing setbacks, the ruthless competitors and hostile bankers—as well as his many thrilling triumphs. Above all, he recalls the relationships that formed the heart and soul of Nike, with his former track coach, the irascible and charismatic Bill Bowerman, and with his first employees, a ragtag group of misfits and savants who quickly became a band of swoosh-crazed brothers.

Together, harnessing the electrifying power of a bold vision and a shared belief in the transformative power of sports, they created a brand—and a culture—that changed everything. Business Professionals & Academics Running & Jogging Inspiring Heartfelt China Imperial Japan Business Biography
All stars
Most Relevant
This book had me listening to 1 more chapter every single time. I wanted to find out how the story ended all the way through.

Great book

Amazing story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Moving, honest, humble and uplifting. A great telling of a great American story of mavericks and believers whose passion and calling built a company based on a unique culture. A fantastic memoir.

Just read it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Amazing story,amazing performance...simply amazing!!
Makes me wanna go out and buy another pair of Nike haha!

Amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Amazing story where I got wrapped up in the struggles and triumps of Nike. what a journey!

Sooooo enjoyable and intriguing story!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Didn't have any problem getting through this book. From start to finish, a gripping narrative of an iconic institution.

Great story of perseverance and vision

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews