On Tuesday, December 6th, Nike had officially cut its ties with Kyrie Irving attributing to Irving’s anti-Semitic comments made in November. While Irving was suspended from the NBA for at least 5 games, he promptly returned to the team on November 20th, and is currently on the starting lineup. Outside of the NBA, it is a different story.
Irving’s anti-Semitic comments sparked headlines all across the sports world a month ago, which added on to the already controversial Brooklyn Nets’ start to the 2022-2023 season. Irving has since apologized for his comments, and reached out to multiple outlets to have a better understanding of the negative impact his actions have made. Nike, however, felt differently about the controversy.
Nike had published a statement on Tuesday that officially announced the removal of Irving in a business relationship with Nike, further exclaiming that they will not be releasing Irving’s upcoming shoe. Prior to his removal, Irving was with Nike in an annual deal that he had signed in 2011, worth at least $11 million.
“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism...we are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone," Nike had told NPR.
After the news of the split between Irving and Nike, Irving took to Twitter to express his opinion on the situation. Irving shared a tweet that stated:
“Anyone who has even spent their hard earned money on anything I have ever released, I consider you FAMILY and we are forever connected. It’s time to show how powerful we are as a community.”
Irving took action with this tweet as in his next game, on Wednesday, Irving still wore his signature sneakers, but with his own twist. On his sneakers, Irving covered the Nike logo with black tape, with the message “ I AM FREE Thank You God...I AM” in gold marker. Irving also labeled “logo here,” on the other shoe.
Irving is currently a sneaker free agent. Time will tell if he will receive another signature sneaker or earn himself another deal with another brand.
