By james art Kyrie Andrew Irving is a professional athlete in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Currently a guard for the Brooklyn Nets, the 29-year-old has a signature sneaker line with North American conglomerate NIKE, Inc.
Born on March 23, 1992 in Melbourne, Australia, Irving entered the NBA as the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft after playing just 11 games with the Duke University Blue Devils. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he stayed for six seasons before leaving the Boston Celtics in 2017. A year earlier, the 6′2 guard helped secure a historic victory in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. winning his first NBA ring alongside LeBron James.
After quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting players to watch upon entering the League, Irving received his first signature sneaker – the Nike Kyrie 1 – on December 24, 2014. Led by Nike’s Director of Basketball Footwear Design Leo Chang, the sneaker featured midsole trim and consisted of a composite textile overlay over a mesh base. The model’s first colorway consisted of an eye-catching Black/White/Magenta/Anthracite palette and was dubbed the “Dream” as a nod to Irving finally realizing his aspirations to play in the NBA. Zoom Air-cushioning made its way into the design and became a staple of Irving’s signature sneaker line. Since 2014, seven models have been released under the Nike Kyrie banner, the latest being the aptly named Nike Kyrie Infinity. All of the core options from Irving’s signature collection maintain a similar shape, with some offerings introducing a midfoot locking strap or other overlays. The Nike Kyrie Low and Nike Flytrap series, however, added variety to the one-time NBA champion’s roster of shoes, boasting different materials and design details.
Irving has incorporated his personal interests into his sneaker line, partnering with Boston’s Concepts for Nike SB and Egyptian-inspired styles; Nickelodeon for SpongeBob SquarePants Collection; and the Swoosh for a nod to Kobe Bryant’s influential Nike Kobe collection. Additionally, Irving is using her partnership with Nike to honor Native American communities across the US through the Nike N7 initiative, as well as shine a light on WNBA athletes like Sue Bird under the “#KeepSueFresh” shoe series.
In 2019, Kyrie Irving joined the Brooklyn Nets as a point guard. During the 2020-21 NBA season, however, the New Jersey native focused on scoring, allowing teammate James Harden to “run the court.” With a roster that also included Kevin Durant, Joe Harris and Blake Griffin, Irving appeared to be on his way to a second NBA title, but a myriad of issues kept him to just 54 games. Ahead of the 2021-22 season, Irving made headlines by refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, compounding the off-court issues already plaguing the superstar.
After Irving posted a link to a movie with anti-Semitic views in early November, the relationship between Nike and Kyrie was quickly ended, with the brand announcing that the Kyrie 8 would be pulled from store shelves and online product pages. All future marketing efforts around the couple were also scrapped.
After spending a year and a half at an “agency without sneakers,” Irving landed a five-year deal with industry-changing Chinese brand ANTA. Irving’s newly formed partnership also includes the title of Chief Creative Officer for ANTA Basketball, allowing the current Dallas Mavericks point guard to sign other athletes, artists and catalysts. Irving kicked off 2023-2024 lacing up the ANTA Shockwave Pro 5 before officially debuting his first signature shoe with the brand, the ANTA KAI 1.