Nike Suspends Relationship With Kyrie Irving, Effective Immediately

Sneaker News November 10th, 2022 (updated)

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Penned in 2011 — and cemented by way of a signature shoe three years thereafter — Kyrie Irving’s deal with the Swoosh has produced several notable performance models, with the 8th mainline entry expected to debut this year. But now what was once a long-standing partnership between athlete and brand has suddenly come to a close, as Nike swiftly announces the suspension of their professional relationship with Kyrie Irving.

The above news comes just a day after Irving shared an offensive, anti-semitic video via Twitter, for which the athlete declined to apologize. Soon after, the Brooklyn Nets suspended Irving, stating it would be effective until he satisfies “a series of objective remedial measures…” Nike evidently followed suit, further denouncing the actions via an official statement:

“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism. To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”

UPDATE November 10th, 2022:
In his first public comments on the matter, Phil Knight, Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Nike, told CNBC’s Becky Quick that “Kyrie stepped over the line, it’s kind of that simple. He just made some statements we can’t abide by and that’s why we ended the relationship.” By the matter-of-fact tone Knight displays during the interview (provided ahead), it seems the relationship between both parties is over for good.

“Kyrie stepped over the line, it’s kind of that simple,” says Nike co-founder Phil Knight. “He just made some statements we can’t abide by and that’s why we ended the relationship.” pic.twitter.com/VWWAEbsIku

— CNBC (@CNBC) November 10, 2022

Nike announces the company is suspending its relationship with Kyrie Irving, effective immediately, and will no longer launch his new Kyrie 8.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 5, 2022