Knight says he will leave Nike as chairman in June

PORTLAND — Nike co-founder Phil Knight told an interviewer Tuesday he would leave as company board chairman in June, publicly revealing a departure target for the first time since announcing last June that he would leave the post some time this year.

Knight, on the day of publication of his book, “Shoe Dog,” told CNBC’s Sara Eisen that he’d thought about a succession plan for two or three years.

“I just have a philosophy that it’s a lot better to step down two years early than two years late,” he said.

Eisen asked if Knight was ready to leave the company, which he co-founded about 50 years ago.

“Come ask me in June, but right now I’m at peace with it,” he said, sitting for the interview on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

A Nike spokesman declined to comment about Knight’s remarks, referring instead to the news release of June 30, 2015, that, among other things, said that Knight recommended the board choose chief executive Mark Parker to succeed him as board chairman.