Hot topics close

Who is Oregon's richest resident? Where Nike's Phil Knight ranks on ...

Who is Oregons richest resident Where Nikes Phil Knight ranks on
Nike co-founder Phil Knight is the wealthiest resident in Oregon. Here's where he ranks on Forbes' list of wealthiest billionaires in the U.S..
Show Caption
Hide Caption

Inside Hayward Field remodel: $200 million state-of-the-art track-only facility

The University of Oregon is set to debut Hayward Field at the Hayward Premiere after years long, $200 million renovation.

Dana Sparks, Register-Guard

Oregon is home to one of the wealthiest billionaires in the world, ranking among the top 25 in America and top 100 in the world.

Phil Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Nike, and his family appeared in the No. 24 spot on the Forbes 400 list, an annual ranking that rounds up some of the world's wealthiest billionaires.

The list showcases 400 billionaires and their families in the United States and ranks them based on their worth. Many acquired their wealth through entrepreneurship, media, hospitality, technology, investments and more.

According to Forbes, in 2024, the combined worth of the United States' 400 wealthiest billionaires totaled a staggering $5.4 trillion, nearly $1 trillion more than the year prior. The top five included Elon Musk ($244 billion), Jeff Bezos ($197 billion), Mark Zuckerberg ($181 billion), Larry Ellison ($175 billion) and Warren Buffett ($150 billion).

Here's a closer look at Knight's background, worth and philanthropy.

When did Phil Knight co-found Nike?

Knight, born and raised in Portland, co-founded Nike in 1964 with Bill Bowerman, his former track and field coach at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

The company started out selling imported Japanese athletic shoes under the name Blue Ribbon Sports before becoming Nike in 1971.

Bowerman died in 1999. Knight retired as chairman in 2016, and he and his family still own 20% of the company today.

What is Phil Knight's worth?

Knight's net worth is $36.8 billion, according to Forbes, making him the 24th wealthiest billionaire in the U.S. and 51st wealthiest in the world, according to Forbes.

Forbes reported a more than $20 billion increase in Knight's worth in 2021 when it reached $49.9 billion and has gradually decrease ever since.

How much money has Phil Knight given to the University of Oregon?

Knight and his wife Penny were reported to have given at least $3.6 billion to charities, according to Forbes. In 2023, the couple pledged $400 million to help rebuild Portland's historically Black Albina neighborhood.

They have also given more than a billion to the University of Oregon, including helping fund Matthew Knight Arena, named after Knight's son, who died while scuba diving in 2004; the renovation of Hayward Field, which has hosted the last five U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials; and the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, which opened in 2020 and is devoted to pushing scientific boundaries. Construction on phase two of the project, also funded by a $500 million donation from Knight and his wife, is underway.

Knight and his wife have given more than $500 million to Stanford University, where Knight earned his MBA.

The Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute also includes the Nike co-founder's name after he and his wife donated $100 million.

Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at GSandoval@gannett.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval.

Similar shots
News Archive
  • 76ers vs Nets
    76ers vs Nets
    How to watch 76ers vs. Nets: Live stream, TV channel, start time for Tuesday's NBA game
    23 Nov 2022
    2
  • Kate
    Kate
    Kate Middleton just posted and signed off a rare personal tweet
    10 Sep 2021
    4
  • Keith Raniere
    Keith Raniere
    Actor Allison Mack gets 3 years in NXIVM sex-slave case
    1 Jul 2021
    2
  • Chris Ellison
    Chris Ellison
    MIN ASX: MinRes board faces investor wrath for ousting Chris Ellison
    4 Nov 2024
    3
This week's most popular shots