Kyrie Irving’s full commitment to his profession over the years has afforded him several opportunities with huge benefits. One such benefit has been his partnership deal with Nike which afforded him the opportunity for his signature shoes to be launched and sold with good returns.
It’s quite evident that this partnership deal has positively affected his basketball career as a sportsperson because of the popularity of his signature line of shoes. Though this partnership would seem unending because of the huge benefits involved, it came somewhat out of the blue when Nike decided to cancel its partnership with Kyrie Irving.
Why did Nike cancelled partnership with Kyrie Irving?
The decision to end their partnership was made by Nike after Kyrie Irving posted a link to information having anti-Semitic messages back in October. Nike frowned seriously over this occurrence and expected a sincere apology from Irving but there was none.
As a result, Nike’s official statement read, “Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete” as reported by CNN. However, according to Shetellia Riley, Irving’s stepmom and agent, the whole issue appeared as a mutual consent cancellation by her agent and the company (NIKE).
She said, “Both parties have agreed to mutually depart ways. We wish Nike the best in their future endeavors.”
Following the cancellation of his partnership with Nike, Irving tweeted “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,”
Before NIKE suspended their partnership with the player on November 4, 2022, Irving had previously announced the launch of the Kyrie 8 shoe.
Nike co-founder Phil Knight reiterated the cancellation of the partnership while speaking with CNBC, “Kyrie stepped over the line. It’s kind of that simple, so he made some statements that we just can’t abide by and that’s why we entered the relationship.” Despite the sad end of the relationship between Kyrie Irving and Nike, there must be a way forward for both parties to move on as Kyrie has already signed with sportswear brand Anta.
Who did Nike replace Kyrie with?
After terminating its partnership with Irving, Nike’s next step as a company was to sign Ja Morant as his replacement. Despite his somewhat controversial off-the-court life, Morant has shown stellar brilliance in the NBA that has eventually fetched him some good fortune.
Fans largely questioned Nike’s strategy in signing Ja Morant as the latter is equally as subject to wide controversy. Memes flooded the internet upon the release of the news that Ja Morant was Nike’s target man after parting ways with Irving.
Ja Morant was suspended 25 games by the NBA as a result of showing a gun in his various videos. Grizzlies also suspended him from team activities after a second video of his bad conduct resurfaced. According to Commissioner Adam Silver, Morant needs to be reprimanded as his conduct raised the concern of young people emulating his negative actions.
What’s your take on Nike’s new signing? Share with us in the comments below.
