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Kyrie Irving is working tirelessly this season to make his way back to the NBA Finals and earn the Dallas Mavericks their return to greatness. Many may not know, however, that Irving also has a full-time job outside of basketball as the Creative Officer of ANTA, the Chinese sportswear brand he's signed to. In furthering ANTA and his own personal brand, Irving has taken it upon himself to recreate his sponsor's vision and add his own flare on it.
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Irving began his partnership with ANTA in July 2023 ahead of the subsequent NBA season and eventually received his first signature sneaker with the brand, the ANTA KAI 1. Along with his on-court sponsorship, Irving also accepted a role as the brand's Chief Creative Officer in hopes of expressing himself further through his sneakers and off-court fashion as well.
The partnership has been a match made in heaven, with the ANTA KAI 1 becoming very popular and Irving even releasing his own lifestyle collection of apparel and casual sneakers. For Kyrie, it's all about letting his ideas flow and welcoming others into his community of collaborative creation.
Kyrie Irving on his role at ANTA
Irving told Andscape: “I got to manage this office over here. I got to manage this office over there. And me being [Chief Creative Officer], it was a new experience. I'm not a CEO. I'm a CCO. Everybody has their responsibilities, but me trying to evolve the vision, that's my job.”
Irving has been extremely happy in Dallas during his time with the Mavericks and this partnership has added a new dimension in his ability to express himself as a creative and work as a visionary. Irving even went as far to describe his vision as a “mall” or marketplace for new ideas and collaboration.
“I describe my shoe brand as my mall. Everybody can come to my mall. It’s a collaborative mall and I want people to have a great experience, not just buying my product, but being a part of something.”
It's safe to say Irving has found a solid home in Dallas with the Mavericks and we anticipate him to serve along the creatives at ANTA for the foreseeable future. We're excited to see what else the eight-time All-Star has up his sleeve for the rest of the year.
