Another domino has fallen for Kyrie Irving. Nike has officially cut ties with the Brooklyn Nets star, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, making him a sneaker free agent.
Nike previously suspended its relationship with Irving in November and announced it wouldn't be releasing the Kyrie 8. The company released this statement after that initial decision:
“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.”
The Kyrie 8s were expected to be launched in November, but that never happened after Kyrie Irving was put under serious scrutiny for refusing to apologize for his promotion of an antisemitic film. The Nets suspended him after he failed to apologize for his actions while being combative in the media when asked about it. Irving wound up serving an eight-game suspension and was reinstated on Nov. 20 after fulfilling a list of demands made by the team.
There were already reports recently that Nike was unlikely to sign Kyrie to a new sneaker extension after his current deal expires next year. Nevertheless, this is not the way he would've wanted things to end with the global giant.
Kyrie Irving will now be looking elsewhere, and it will be interesting to see where he winds up after all the drama of the last few seasons. On the court, Kyrie and the Nets have started to play better, getting to 13-12 on the season after a brutal start.
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