The Knights – $33.8B
We will have you know that Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, is a self-made man. The story goes like this: his dad ran a local newspaper but refused to grant Phil a summer job. According to the older man, the young man would learn more this way! It’s a good thing the tough love paid off since this was how Knight discovered sports. He eventually went into the U.S. Army and became interested in Japanese shoes. These things were what motivated him to launch Nike. His own son Matthew died of a heart defect in 2004, which impacted him deeply and caused him to step down as the CEO. Despite these tragedies, the family is certainly one of the wealthiest in the United States.
The Knights – $33.8B
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