There was a lot of talk surrounding Kyrie Irving's controversial divorce from Nike a few months ago. This was at the height of the Dallas Mavericks superstar's antisemitic scandal, and for their part, Nike deemed it necessary for them to cut ties with one of the biggest (and most profitable) names on their roster amid his latest controversy. For his part, it seems that Milwaukee Bucks talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo holds some regret over this unfortunate turn of events.
Giannis was recently asked about his favorite signature shoe line, and the Bucks star got brutally honest with his response. Antetokounmpo admitted that he's a big fan of Nike's Kyrie line despite the fact that it has now officially been discontinued:
“Besides myself, who has the best signature line?” Giannis said, via NBA beat reporter Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “Oh, probably Kyrie Irving, but he’s not with Nike anymore.”
Well, to be honest, I see no lies here. Kyrie Irving did have one of the hottest signature sneaker lines out there while he was with Nike, and it is indeed a shame that we will no longer see a new iteration of the Nike Kyrie.
Giannis Antetokounmpo himself remains one of Nike's marquee athletes, and his Greek Freak sneaker line has also raked it in for the sportswear giants. Besides his own shoe, though, the Bucks superstar did reveal that he's an admirer of Irving's now-defunct sneaker line.
For what it's worth, there have been rumors that Kyrie Irving held talks with independent shoe company SIA Collective for a new sponsorship deal. Nothing has been confirmed, though, and this is definitely a situation worth monitoring.