Nike Won’t Renew Kyrie Irving’s Contract, According to Reports

Some things in life are certain; Life, Death, and Taxes. One thing that’s definitely not a certainty is Kyrie Irving’s appearance on the court. Irving’s consistent time off the hardwood, for a multitude of reasons, has made it extremely difficult to market his signature sneaker line. His unpredictability has become such an issue, that Nike is considering putting an end to the Brooklyn Guard’s athlete contract, as per ESPN.

Since 2014, Irving’s signature Nike sneakers have been amongst the most popular in the professional and amateur leagues around the world, thanks to its low-cut, low-cost, high-performance approach. It also helped that, in his early years at least, the Irving was considered a bonafide superstar. Recent events have amplified the guard’s reputation of being difficult to work with, from vaccine battles, to publicly ridiculing his eighth signature Nike sneaker.

Kyrie Irving and the Nike Kyrie 7 circa 2020

In a statement provided to ESPN, a Nike spokesperson didn’t deny the ending of the Kyrie Irving signature shoe line, sharing instead: “We don’t comment on contracts or rumors or speculation. Kyrie remains a Nike athlete.”

The Nike Kyrie 9 is still scheduled to debut this fall, but there is plenty of speculation that it will be the final model made under the partnership between Irving and the Swoosh.

Stay tuned for more.