Kyrie Irving is loved by millions for his on-court play, personal beliefs, community involvement and his Nike sneaker line.
Now two of those three are up in the air after the Nets’ disappointing end to this season.
According to ESPN.com, Irving’s uncertain NBA future makes it unlikely that Nike will extend his signature deal beyond the upcoming 2022-23 season.
The Nets’ star has a new edition of his shoe dropping this fall, but that is expected to be, per ESPN, the end of the highly successful line that began in 2014.
In response, Nike issued the following statement to ESPN.
“We don’t comment on contracts or rumors or speculation. Kyrie remains a Nike athlete.”
Irving, as all basketball fans know, has been an unpredictable force during his time in the league, particularly since signing with Brooklyn in 2019.
That year he signed a four-year, $141 million deal with the team, a move that was supposed to be a new start after his tumultuous and combative relationship with Boston media and fans in the 2018-19 season.
But so far his tenure in Brooklyn has been a disappointment.
He didn’t want to play in the Bubble during the pandemic shortened season and tried to get others to join him in the pursuit of social justice initiatives.
The following season he was hurt and only played in 54 of the team’s 72 games and in July he got into a beef with Nike over the Kyrie 8, calling it “trash” and insisting that he had “nothing to do with the design or marketing.”
Then this season Kyrie decided to sit out and support the “voiceless” who refused to adhere to New York City vaccine mandates.
When he finally returned, the team couldn’t gel, James Harden was traded for Ben Simmons and the Nets were eventually swept by the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Kyrie has stated that he wants to remain in Brooklyn with Kevin Durant, and he has a $36.5 million option for the upcoming season.
But his history has to give both the Nets and Nike pause, as long-term commitments with Kyrie don’t seem to pan out smoothly or successfully.
So if the Nets balk at extending him, Nike might follow.
