Which athlete became Nike’s first major individual endorsement signing in 1972?

Ilie Năstase became Nike’s first major individual endorsement signing in 1972.

The Romanian tennis star was one of the sport’s biggest personalities when Nike, then a young footwear company, signed him. Năstase’s flamboyant style and international profile helped Nike gain visibility beyond track and field.

Nike had previously focused heavily on running shoes and relationships with runners. Signing a celebrated tennis player showed the company’s wider ambition in performance sports and athlete marketing. Tennis later became an important category for Nike, with endorsers including John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams, and Rafael Nadal.

Năstase is sometimes confused with Nike’s earliest sponsored runners, because Nike’s roots were in athletics. The distinction is that he is widely credited as the company’s first major individual athlete endorser, rather than its first sponsored athlete of any kind.