Nike’s Shifts in Track and Field Are Top of Mind as Trials Begin

By BY KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports A series of contract changes, executive shuffling and internal responses to scandals have athletes and others wondering where the sport stands with Nike as it heads into the Olympics.https://nyti.ms/3zNhoOK

Zion Williamson’s Year in College Was Worth More Than He Got

By BY KURT STREETER from NYT Sports His name surfaces again in a lawsuit over shoe company payments to college players. But the surprising part is the paltry sums involved.https://nyti.ms/3euf3zG

Kobe Bryant’s Nike Contract Expired. The Implications Are Complex.

By BY KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports The end of the deal has no analogue in basketball or sneaker history, opening a hole in the market as Bryant’s shoes have been used heavily by N.B.A. athletes and have seen high demand among the public since his death.https://nyti.ms/32vW159

A Star’s Shoe Breaks, Putting College Basketball Under a Microscope

By MARC TRACY and KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports When Duke’s Zion Williamson injured a knee after one of his Nike sneakers split open, it raised questions about amateurism and shoe companies’ influence in the sport.https://nyti.ms/2SULONd

Nike’s Deal With Kaepernick Draws Cheers and Pictures of Burning Shoes

By JACEY FORTIN and MATTHEW HAAG from NYT Sports Colin Kaepernick’s campaign with Nike prompted anger online from those critical of the former N.F.L. quarterback’s protests of police killings of black people.https://nyti.ms/2PCQH7h