ZEE Business
ZEE BUSINESS
हिंदी में पढ़ें  हिंदी में पढ़ें
Live TV
Live TV
  • Home
  • Personal Finance
    • PPF
    • Mutual Funds
    • Income tax
    • EPFO
    • Income Tax Calculator
    • Personal Loan Calculator
    • Car Loan Calculator
    • Home Loan Calculator
    • SIP calculator
    • SWP Calculator
    • MF Returns Calculator
    • Lumpsum Calculator
  • India
    • Companies
    • Property
    • Startups
    • Uidai
  • Economy
    • Aviation
  • Tech
    • Mobiles
    • Apps
  • Auto
    • Cars
    • Bikes
  • Markets
    • Commodities
    • Currency
  • Railways
  • World
    • Economy
    • Politics
    • Markets
  • Survey
  • videos
  • photos
  • More ...
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
BREAKING NEWS
  • Mahindra & Mahindra stock hits 52-week high as brokerages bullish on counter post Scorpio-N launch; check target prices
  • GST Council meet begins today: Know agendas of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's led two-day meeting
  • Security deposit on commercial LPG connection goes up by Rs 1050 for 19-kg cylinder; check new rates
  • Cash-starved Sri Lanka to end fuel duopoly to ease fuel shortages
  • Xiaomi 12S series set to launch with Leica cameras on July 4: Check key details here
Read in App
Business News » World News

Nike stumbles into social media storm after basketball star's shoe splits

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • whatapp
  • View in App

A Nike Inc sneaker worn by a college basketball superstar split in half less than a minute into a highly anticipated game between Duke University and North Carolina, prompting an outcry on social media as the company sought to figure out what caused the problem.

Zion Williamson, a 6-foot-7-inch freshman forward for the Duke Blue Devils who is anticipated to be the top 2019 NBA Draft pick, suffered a mild sprain to his right knee because of the incident on Wednesday night, according to his coach Mike Krzyzewski.

The official Duke Basketball Twitter handle (@DukeMBB) tweeted Thursday evening that Zion was "progressing as expected, and his status is day-to-day."

A closeup video replay showed Williamson slipping and crumpling to the ground, clutching his knee in pain. His left shoe is seen split in half, with part of the sole ripped off the base of the sneaker.

Williamson did not return to play in the match-up, which ended with No. 1-ranked Duke losing 72-88 to the No. 8-ranked Tar Heels team.

"We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery," Nike said in a statement. "The quality and performance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue."

Shares of the sportswear maker closed down 1 percent on Thursday, a day after the incident, wiping off some $1.46 billion from Nike`s market capitalization since Wednesday`s close.

Oppenheimer analyst Brian Nagel said in a note that he was optimistic "any lasting damage to the company and its shares will prove minimal."

Williamson was wearing the Nike PG 2.5 basketball shoe when he was injured, Nike confirmed to Reuters in an email. The line of sneakers, launched in summer of 2018, sells for $95-$105 on Nike`s website.

The shoe received mixed reviews and a rating of 4 out of 5 stars on Nike.com as of Thursday.

Nike is Duke`s exclusive supplier of uniforms, shoes and apparel under a 12-year contract that was extended in 2015 and has had an exclusive deal with the private university since 1992, ESPN reported.

Nike`s latest quarterly results showed signs of a rebound as it speeds up new product launches and expands partnerships with online retailers. The Beaverton, Oregon-based company has forecast sales growth for 2019 approaching low double-digits.

Williamson, who averaged 21.6 points a game, has been tipped as the "next Lebron James" and is expected to be selected first in the NBA Draft this June.

Krzyzewski said it was unclear how long Williamson would be out because of the injury.

Former President Barack Obama, director Spike Lee and star NFL running back Todd Gurley attended Wednesday`s game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the home court of the Blue Devils.

A video from the match posted on Twitter showed Obama sitting courtside, expressing shock and mouthing the words, "his shoe broke!"

The incident lit up social media, with celebrities and some of basketball`s biggest stars expressing shock and dismay.

"Hope young fella is ok!" tweeted LeBron James (@KingJames) on Wednesday. "Literally blew thru his [shoe]," he added, using a shoe emoji.

"Again let`s remember all the money that went into this game.... and these players get none of it," Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell), a former first-round NBA draft pick and current guard for the Utah Jazz, tweeted on Wednesday. "And now Zion gets hurt... something has to change."

Nike`s social media sentiment dropped following the malfunction, according to social media analytics firm Zoomph. With 1.6 billion impressions and a reach of 170 million users, people were twice as likely to express negative sentiment about the athletic apparel maker, Zoomph data showed.

This is not the first time Nike has faced controversy over the craftsmanship of its sportswear. In 2017, the company faced a backlash when several NBA jerseys worn by basketball stars, including James, ripped apart.

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.

TAGS:
Economy
Updated: Fri, Feb 22, 2019
05:14 am
Reuters
RELATED NEWS
GST council clears proposal to remove tax exemptions on some items GST council clears proposal to remove tax exemptions on some items
15 more firms selected under PLI scheme for white goods 15 more firms selected under PLI scheme for white goods
JP Morgan bullish on global markets in H2; rejects possibility of recession, sees inflation receding in second half JP Morgan bullish on global markets in H2; rejects possibility of recession, sees inflation receding in second half
Punjab Budget 2022-23: AAP government presents its first budget;  for FY 2022-23; at Rs 1,55,860 crore FM proposes 14.2% jump in budget expenditure Punjab Budget 2022-23: AAP government presents its first budget; for FY 2022-23; at Rs 1,55,860 crore FM proposes 14.2% jump in budget expenditure
India suffering from low labor participation rate, rupee depreciating in the world, says RBI Deputy Governor Michael Patra India suffering from low labor participation rate, rupee depreciating in the world, says RBI Deputy Governor Michael Patra

LATEST NEWS

Stocks to buy today: Mahindra CIE, Wipro, Shakti Pumps and ICICI Bank among list of 20 stocks for profitable trade on June 29

Buy, Sell or Hold: What should investors do with Strides Pharma, MRPL and IEX shares?

Stocks to buy: Sanjiv Bhasin picks GMR, LTTS, HDFC AMC for gains today; check why

Crude oil prices take a breather after three-day rally

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Stock: What makes brokerage bullish on Indian Hotels, 21% upside seen - know reasons here

Xiaomi 12S series set to launch with Leica cameras on July 4: Check key details here

Need for technological improvisation, incentives to promote electric two-wheelers: Niti report

Energy stocks ONGC, Oil India, MRPL, Chennai Petro gain up to 10% on higher crude oil prices – Here is what brokerages say on oil & gas shares

Zee Business questions Zomato’s move to leave out retail investors from its investor call; Managing Editor Anil Singhvi call out bias, demands this

Brigade Enterprises jumps 6% after securing JDA to develop 2.1 million Sqft area in Chennai

  • India News
  • World News
  • Companies News
  • Market News
  • Personal Finance News
  • Technology News
  • Automobile News
  • Small Business News
  • Income Tax Calculator
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Author
  • Rss Feed
  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Disclaimer

Latest Trending Updates

  • EPFO
  • Budget 2020
  • Income Tax Return
  • Auto Expo 2020
  • Home Loan
  • Business News

Trending Topics

  • Income Tax
  • income Tax Calculator
  • 7th Pay Commission
  • Reserve Bank of India
  • GST
  • Latest Business News

Follow us on

zeebiz
zeebiz

Partner Sites

  • Zee News
  • Hindi News
  • Marathi News
  • Bengali News
  • Tamil News
  • Malayalam News
  • Gujarati News
  • Telugu News
  • Kannada News
  • DNA
  • WION
© 2022. India Dot Com Private Limited. All Rights Reserved.
LIVE TV