Nets' Kyrie Irving Rips Nike, Says He Had 'Nothing to Do' with Kyrie 8 Sneaker
July 28, 2021
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving publicly distanced himself from the upcoming line of his Nike signature sneakers.
The Instagram account @k11kicks shared photos of what were purportedly a pair of Kyrie 8s. Irving responded to say he had "nothing to do with the design or marketing of the upcoming #Kyrie8, IMO these are trash!"
The seven-time All-Star added that Nike will follow through with the Kyrie 8 line with or without his approval.
Irving signed with Nike in July 2011, shortly after the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him No. 1 overall. He received his first signature kicks in December 2014.
In recent years, the 29-year-old has had significant input on the shoes that bear his name.
The Undefeated's Aaron Dodson in November 2019 spoke with designer Ben Nethongkome, who said he and the star point guard "sat down and invested hours" into identifying the look for what would become the Kyrie 6. Irving also told Dodson he had "had a huge, huge hand in a lot of designing processes before."
