In an attempt to drive continued growth in its core business segments, Nike has appointed Larry Miller as vice president and general manager of Basketball, and Peter Ruppe as vice president and general manager of Men's Training and Fitness.

The appointments fill two of five new global category management positions announced in August.

Mr Miller joined Nike in 1997 and has been president of the Jordan brand since 1999. In his new role, he will be responsible for all aspects of Nike's global basketball business, including Jordan. Mr Ruppe has worked at Nike since 1981 and has led the company's equipment business for the past six years. He most recently helped lead the product and technology development of the Nike+ category and partnership with Apple.