New York (Standard&Poor's) April 23, 2013--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today it assigned its 'A+' unsecured debt rating to NIKE Inc.'s $500 million 2.25% notes due 2023 and $500 million 3.625% notes due 2043, same as the 'A+' corporate credit rating. The notes will be issued under the company's Rule 415 shelf registration. We expect the company to use net proceeds from this debt issuance to be used for general corporate purposes, including potential share repurchases, debt repayment, and acquisitions. Following completion of this transaction, we estimate debt to EBITDA leverage will increase to 0.8x from 0.5x for the 12 months ended Feb. 28, 2013. Our ratings on NIKE reflect our view that the company's business risk
