Are you curious about Kyrie Irving’s new $126 million shoe deal with China’s Anta? We have the details.
Ben Madilynn
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets’ point guard, signed a shoe deal worth $126 million with Chinese sportswear manufacturer Anta. Irving is now one of the most highly-paid athletes within the sneaker industry thanks to this exclusive partnership. The details of the agreement are still relatively unknown, but it is believed that Irving’s contract will last for a period of ten years. Irving joined Anta for the first time in 2017, after leaving behind his previous partnership Nike. Irving’s move to Anta, a strategic and bold decision, was a way for him to reach out to a wider audience and expand his brand, especially in China.
Irving’s new shoe deal is still largely a secret, but we can expect him to continue releasing his signature sneakers. Irving has been seen on social media wearing exclusive, unreleased Anta versions, which have created excitement among sneaker fans. This partnership is not only a testament to Irving’s marketability and popularity, but also the increasing influence and demand of sneaker collaborations within the global basketball community. This deal, which is a result of Anta’s presence in East Asia and the growing popularity of sneaker collaborations worldwide, allows Irving to establish his brand further and attract an international audience.
Topline
NBA star Kyrie Irvin signed a shoe contract with Chinese Sports Brand Anta. the company announced Tuesday—a victory for the often controversial sports star who was shunned by U.S. brands last year after promoting an antisemitic film on social media—and reigniting questions over the NBA’s relationship with China.
Dallas Mavericks Kyrie Irving in action during the team’s match against the Sacramento Kings. … [+]
The Key Facts
The NBA’s failure to criticize China, a key new audience for the league, has been questioned by the involvement of a Chinese firm in this deal.
Criticisms stretch back to 2019 when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey deleted a tweet expressing support for Hong Kong protesters and the NBA and Rockets distanced themselves from the message after the league faced boycotts China, one of its fastest growing markets—more than 500 million people watched games the season prior and the league had just secured a $1.5 billion streaming deal in the country, the Associated Press reported When?
Irving was suspended without pay by the Brooklyn Nets after he refused to apologize after promoting a documentary that many viewed as antisemitic.
Irving’s controversial posts have been followed by a series of other headline-grabbing decisions. These include his refusal to accept the Covid-19 vaccination and his claim that the Earth is flat.
Irving’s three-year agreement is valued at $126 million, and he will have the title Chief Creative Officer.
As part of the agreement, Irving is also responsible for recruiting more “basketball players, independent brands, influential figures in pop culture, artists, musicians, pioneers in environmentalism, trailblazers in humanitarianism and designers to also collaborate with him to create additional product lines under Kyrie’s signature line,” The company announced the deal in a public statement.
Important Quote
Irving said that the opportunity to become chief creative officer is “more than just a realization of my dreams,” The term is used to describe it. “the perfect opportunity for me, an individual who always dreams big and values independent thinking, to leverage my artistic talents to build, create, and unify the culture both on and off court.”
Chief Critics
Enes Kanter, who has been selected third for the 2011 NBA, and played with several teams, including the Boston Celtics has claimed repeatedly, including during a congressional hearing TuesdayAfter wearing shoes with messages that highlighted China’s treatment of Tibetans and Uyghurs – a move which led China to ban the telecasting of his team games in their country – he was blacklisted. Freedom was dropped from the league and has not played since February 2022, which he claims is due to his activism. Dave Zirin has written nearly a dozen sports political books and is a columnist for MSNBC. wrote NBA’s “silence on China proves it’s less interested in human rights than the bottom line.”
Key Background
Irving is a Dallas Mavericks player. Irving joined the league in 2011 and signed a $126 million, three-year contract extension with the team this month. Irving is a three-time NBA all-star who won the championship with LeBron James in 2016 while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving tweeted in October 2022 a link to the “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on Amazon.com, a movie from 2018, which falsely claims that Black Americans were the descendants of biblical Israelites. It also asserts that there was an International Jewish conspiracy against Black people, and that the Holocaust never happened. Irving’s tweet led the Nets, Nike and the Nets, who have been working together since 2014 to create Irving’s trademark shoe, to cancel Irving’s next shoe release in November. Irving finally apologized after initially refusing. saying on social media He didn’t know the film contained “false statements, narratives and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion.” In February, however, he removed that post after demanding to be traded from the Nets.
Read More
Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving partners with ANTA on new shoe deal (ESPN)
Kyrie Irving Antisemitism Controversy: Nike Latest To Drop NBA Star (Forbes)
Kyrie Irving Reportedly Traded To Dallas Mavericks From Brooklyn Nets (Forbes)
Nike Permanently Dumps Kyrie Irving After Antisemitic Tweet (Forbes)
Kyrie Irving Deletes Social Media Apology For Antisemitic Post After Trade To Mavericks (Forbes)
