Twenty-five years ago, Sam McCracken had an idea. A member of the Sioux and Assiniboine tribes, McCracken was working at the Nike warehouse distribution center in 1999 in Wilsonville, Oregon, when he had an idea to promote healthy lifestyles to members in his community. Slowly but surely, McCracken would begin hosting fun runs and walks back home on his reservation.

Over time, his events showed an increase in participation and a level of excitement towards continuing to live a healthy and active lifestyle. McCracken kept working on promoting healthy lifestyles in his community, and in 2009, Nike unveiled the Nike N7 line, a line of products aimed exclusively at promoting and supporting Indigenous communities across Indian Country.

Soon thereafter, Nike would make McCracken “General Manager and Visionary” of Nike’s N7 programs and the founder of the N7 Fund, a title which he presently holds.

According to the N7 fund website, the “N7” name originates from the Indigenous wisdom from Seven Generations: “We must consider the impact of our decisions on the seventh generation.”

On July 19, Nike N7, in partnership with the Nike Community Impact Fund, awarded funding to go towards athletic developments and improvements for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Gila River Indian Community and the Ak-Chin Indian Community. The announcement was held at the Nike Unite store at Tempe Marketplace. Special invited guests included the children enrolled in the Boys & Girls Club Lehi and Sacaton branches, in addition to youth from Ak-Chin.

McCracken served as the emcee of the special occasion. SRPMIC President Martin Harvier, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis and Ak-Chin Indian Community Chairman Robert Miguel all shared some positive words about the partnership.

“It’s great to see everyone here,” said Governor Lewis. Chairman Miguel added that he was pleased to see all the youth in attendance and encouraged them to continue to work hard toward achieving their dreams, even if it does not involve sports. “We need you all to keep going for your dreams,” he said.

“I want to thank Nike for giving N7 this opportunity to do what they do,” said President Harvier. “We need to see Natives achieve things so we can say, ‘They can do it, so I can do it.’”

Following the welcoming speeches, the store erupted with applause when WNBA rookie sensation Alissa Pili entered and answered a few questions. A first-round pick by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2024 WNBA draft, Pili is part Samoan and Inupiaq from northern Alaska.

Pili is one of only a few Indigenous athletes ever to play in the WNBA, who include Ryneldi Becenti (Navajo), Tahnee Robinson (Northern Cheyenne), Angel Goodrich (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma), and Jade and Shoni Schimmel (Umatilla).

“It feels amazing to represent the Indigenous community,” began Pili. “Keep chasing your dreams. I was just a little girl from Alaska running around with my siblings. That’s all I had for a while, until my parents put me in sports,” she added. Pili then said that having a supportive group of family and friends can help improve an athlete’s overall well-being. “Having the support of my parents and family is everything,” she said.

At the conclusion of her Q&A, Pili stood outside of Nike Unite next to her portrait on the north side of the store. Almost instantly, she was surrounded by youth and distinguished guests in attendance for a group photo.

Later, the Boys & Girls Club youth from the Lehi and Red Mountain branches got to spend the afternoon shopping at the Nike Unite store as well as making a visit inside the Nike WNBA pop-up store at Tempe Marketplace. The pop-up included a group photo station, free mini-games, an arts and crafts table, an Xbox Series X with a playable NBA 2K25 demo, and more.