Long Term Debt Net of Unamortized Premiums and Discounts and Swap Fair Value Adjustments (Detail) In Millions, unless otherwise specified			12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended						12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2012 USD ($)	May 31, 2011 USD ($)	May 31, 2012 5.66% Corporate bond, payable July 23, 2012 USD ($)		May 31, 2011 5.66% Corporate bond, payable July 23, 2012 USD ($)		May 31, 2012 5.40% Corporate bond, payable August 7, 2012 USD ($)		May 31, 2011 5.40% Corporate bond, payable August 7, 2012 USD ($)		May 31, 2012 4.70% Corporate bond, payable October 1, 2013 USD ($)		May 31, 2011 4.70% Corporate bond, payable October 1, 2013 USD ($)		May 31, 2012 5.15% Corporate bond, payable October 15, 2015 USD ($)		May 31, 2011 5.15% Corporate bond, payable October 15, 2015 USD ($)		May 31, 2012 4.30% Japanese Yen note, payable June 26, 2011 USD ($)	May 31, 2012 4.30% Japanese Yen note, payable June 26, 2011 JPY (¥)	May 31, 2011 4.30% Japanese Yen note, payable June 26, 2011 USD ($)	May 31, 2012 1.52% Japanese Yen note, payable February 14, 2012 USD ($)	May 31, 2012 1.52% Japanese Yen note, payable February 14, 2012 JPY (¥)	May 31, 2011 1.52% Japanese Yen note, payable February 14, 2012 USD ($)	May 31, 2012 2.60% Japanese Yen note, maturing August 20, 2001 through November 20, 2020 USD ($)		May 31, 2012 2.60% Japanese Yen note, maturing August 20, 2001 through November 20, 2020 JPY (¥)		May 31, 2011 2.60% Japanese Yen note, maturing August 20, 2001 through November 20, 2020 USD ($)		May 31, 2012 2.00% Japanese Yen note, maturing August 20, 2001 through November 20, 2020 USD ($)		May 31, 2012 2.00% Japanese Yen note, maturing August 20, 2001 through November 20, 2020 JPY (¥)		May 31, 2011 2.00% Japanese Yen note, maturing August 20, 2001 through November 20, 2020 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long Term Debt, original principal			$ 25	[1]			$ 15	[1]			$ 50	[1]			$ 100	[1]				¥ 10,500			¥ 5,000				¥ 9,000	[2]					¥ 4,000	[2]
Long-term debt, interest rate			5.66%	[1]			5.40%	[1]			4.70%	[1]			5.15%	[1]			4.30%	4.30%		1.52%	1.52%		2.60%	[2]	2.60%	[2]			2.00%	[2]	2.00%	[2]
Long-term debt, interest payment			Semi-Annually	[1]			Semi-Annually	[1]			Semi-Annually	[1]			Semi-Annually	[1]			Semi-Annually	Semi-Annually		Semi-Annually	Semi-Annually		Quarterly	[2]	Quarterly	[2]			Quarterly	[2]	Quarterly	[2]
Long Term Debt	277	476	25	[1]	26	[1]	15	[1]	16	[1]	50	[1]	50	[1]	115	[1]	114	[1]	0		130	0		62	50	[2]			54	[2]	22	[2]			24	[2]
Less current maturities	49	200
Long-term debt (Note 8)	$ 228	$ 276

[1] For each of these notes, except the $50 million note maturing in October 1, 2013, the Company has entered into interest rate swap agreements whereby the Company receives fixed interest payments at the same rate as the notes and pays variable interest payments based on the six-month LIBOR plus a spread. Each swap has the same notional amount and maturity date as the corresponding note. At May 31, 2012, the interest rates payable on these swap agreements ranged from approximately 0.6% to 1.0%.

[2] NIKE Logistics YK assumed a total of ¥13.0 billion in loans as part of its agreement to purchase a distribution center in Japan, which serves as collateral for the loans. These loans mature in equal quarterly installments during the period August 20, 2001 through November 20, 2020.