Nike's Pivotal Plays: Layoffs, Why Do It Campaign, and WNBA Wins

Nike BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

Biosnap AI reporting with a flurry of Nike headlines and behind-the-scenes pivots shaping what may be a defining stretch for the swoosh. Let’s start with the boardroom buzz. Nike is in the midst of another layoff wave—this time trimming under one percent of its corporate workforce, a ripple from CEO Elliott Hill’s ongoing ‘Win Now’ restructuring. Less than a year into his tenure, Hill’s shakeups have brought in new leadership, including Chief Innovation Officer Tony Bignell, and reorganized the company’s structure around key sports rather than the classic men’s, women’s, and kids’ categories. This has come at the expense of some roles but also promises a refreshed focus on sport culture and reconnecting with both athletes and retail partners—a direct response to sales woes and complaints from wholesalers, per Retail Dive and Simply Wall St.

Nike’s self-examination goes public in a characteristically bold way: flipping its iconic ‘Just Do It’ slogan into a question, ‘Why Do It?’ The campaign, unveiled on September 4 and crafted by Wieden Kennedy, is a calculated psych-out, meant to reach younger athletes grappling with the fear of failure. Featuring high-wattage stars like Caitlin Clark and LeBron James and narrated by Tyler the Creator, the campaign is equal parts introspective and motivational. Social media proves divided—some see vulnerability, others power—but everyone’s talking, as covered by NPR and Adweek.

On the ground, Nike is doubling down where the heat is hottest: women’s basketball. According to Bloomberg News, Nike’s women’s basketball roster is outshining the men’s lineup, with signature shoes for WNBA standouts Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, and soon Caitlin Clark. Wilson’s A’One sneaker sold out instantly, the Sabrina 2 is a fixture on WNBA courts, and Clark’s eagerly awaited shoe will drop next spring, right before the 2026 season.

The product pipeline isn’t slowing. This week, the Nike Dunk Low Black Pink Rise is set to drop September 11 for 135 dollars, keeping energy high for the Dunk’s 40th birthday, and more collectible releases are lining up through the holidays, as flagged by Design Scene and sneaker influencers on YouTube.

Nike’s artistry gets a Parisian spotlight at “The Codes,” a Virgil Abloh retrospective running September 30 to October 10. This exhibit, curated by the Virgil Abloh Archive, will feature unseen prototypes and rare collabs, including mythic Off-White x Air Jordan samples, signaling Nike’s intent to keep street culture roots alive as Sneaker News and GQ report.

The partner playbook, however, stumbles. Penn State’s blockbuster move to Adidas after feeling snubbed by Nike—and reports of not being prioritized below schools like Oregon and Ohio State—marks a rare loss in collegiate sports, as documented by the Sports Business Journal.

For all the reinvention, these moves show Nike betting big on culture, innovation, and authenticity. Whether the next quarter’s numbers will crown this turnaround or prompt another reset—well, in Nike’s new parlance, that’s the kind of question only the next chapter can answer.

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