Nike has canceled their contract with Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, effective immediately.
The Beaverton conglomerate has reached a breaking point with the once-heralded Point God, with a series of missteps capped off by his recent endorsement of a film filled with anti-Semitic rhetoric. Irving faced severe backlash, not only for his actions, but also his inaction; a delayed apology game days later after he was slammed by NBA boss Adam Silver, and subsequently suspended by the Brooklyn Nets. Now, Nike, his footwear sponsor, is pulling the pin, with NBA insider Shams Charania confirming the split.
Nike’s statement on Kyrie Irving reads, in part: “At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech, and we condemn any form of antisemitism…We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”
Nike will suspend Irving’s contract effective immediately and will scrap the future release of the Nike Kyrie 8, which was expected to be his final sneaker under the partnership.
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