Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight Has Disposed of $3.1 Billion in NKE Stock Across 13,182 Transactions

Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman emeritus of Nike (NKE), has filed 13,182 insider transactions since 2003 — the highest individual transaction count we track. His career dispositions total $3.1 billion, yet his recent filings tell a different story: no open-market sales since October 2020, with recent activity dominated by Class B to Class A share conversions and billion-dollar charitable gifts.

The Numbers

Metric	Value
Career Sell Value	$3.1 billion
Total Transactions	13,182
First Transaction	Aug 15, 2003
Last Transaction	Feb 2, 2026
Shares Remaining	27,479,487
Career Buy Value	$0

Recent Activity

Date	Type	Shares	Price	Est. Value
Feb 2, 2026	Conversion	4,500,000	—	—
Feb 2, 2026	Conversion	4,500,000	—	—
Dec 29, 2025	Transfer	4,500,000	—	—
Jul 9, 2024	Transfer	3,600,000	—	—
Jan 13, 2023	Gift	5,000,000	—	~$625M
Oct 2, 2020	Sell	800,000	$125.31	$100.2M

Knight's most recent filing from February 2026 shows the conversion of 9 million Class B shares into Class A shares across two separate transactions. This follows a December 2025 transfer of 4.5 million shares and a massive 5-million-share gift in January 2023 worth approximately $625 million at the time. His last actual open-market sell was in October 2020: 800,000 shares at $125.31 for $100 million. He has not sold a single share on the open market in over five years.

What It Means

Despite the $3.1 billion career sell figure, Knight's 13,182 transactions are heavily skewed toward share class conversions, gifts, and transfers — not profit-taking. The majority of his filing volume comes from Nike's dual-class share structure, where Class B shares (10 votes each) convert to Class A (1 vote) upon transfer. Knight originally held a massive Class B stake that gave him majority voting control; the ongoing conversions suggest a gradual transition of his holdings into more liquid Class A shares, likely for estate planning and philanthropic purposes through the Knight Foundation. With 27.5 million shares remaining (worth approximately $2.2 billion at current NKE prices around $80), Knight still has one of the largest founder stakes in U.S. corporate history — though it's a far cry from the 100+ million shares he once controlled.

What to Watch

• Whether Knight resumes open-market sales after a five-year hiatus, which would be a significant sentiment signal given NKE's decline from $175+ to ~$80
• The pace of Class B-to-A conversions — accelerating conversions often precede larger dispositions or gifts
• Nike's turnaround efforts under CEO Elliott Hill and whether improving fundamentals prompt any change in Knight's filing pattern