Nike is dealing with a public relations nightmare after Duke freshman basketball star Zion Williamson suffered a knee injury when his Nike sneaker tore apart Wednesday night.

Williamson suffered a mild knee sprain after his Nike basketball shoe ripped apart when he planted hard after driving in the lane just 36 seconds into Duke’s 88-72 loss to North Carolina.

Former President Barack Obama, who attended the game, noticed the shoe malfunction and said, “His shoe broke.”

Williamson limped off the court and into the locker room. Duke then announced that Williamson would not return to the game due to a knee injury. Duke coach Mike Kzryzewski said Williamson suffered a “mild knee sprain” and was uncertain how long the power forward would be out.

“We’re very concerned about Zion. It’s a mild knee sprain,” Kzryzewski said after the game. “We will know about length of time tomorrow. It’s stable. Obviously, it has an impact.

You lose the potential national player of the year on the first play.”

Here’s a look at the destroyed shoe.

Williamson was wearing the Nike PG 2.5, the signature shoe of Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George. The incident, which involved the expected No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft who plays for the most high-profile college basketball program in the country in the biggest game of the season on national television, sent Nike into full damage control.

Nike issued a statement Wednesday night.

“We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery. The quality and performance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue.”

Not surprisingly, Nike’s competitors, detractors and others pounced on social media.