Kyrie Irving is back on the court after his recent controversies, but not everything has returned to normal.
Early Monday morning, word emerged that Nike had severed its relationship with the polarizing Brooklyn Nets star.
“Irving is no longer a Nike athlete,” a Nike spokesperson told Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“The sides have parted ways one month after Nike suspended its relationship with the Nets star. Irving has one of most popular signatures shoes in the NBA and is now a sneaker free agent,” Charania added.
Almost as soon as the news broke, Irving took to social media to address it:
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) December 5, 2022
The gif speaks for itself. “There is nothing more priceless than being free” doesn’t leave much room for interpretation.
NBA twitter is a very vocal community. So, as you would expect, reactions to Irving’s tweet poured in immediately:
word… https://t.co/ak4mZQ8TZx
— JudgeSarahHeidelisAracist (@JAracist) December 5, 2022
Boy boutta sign wit REEBOK https://t.co/Ru2MgXLP0p
— Almighty Von (@_WE_AINT_SHIT) December 5, 2022
He’s not fine but tried to hard to be. https://t.co/kDRQintNbH
— Ben’Gui (@Guibenfik) December 5, 2022
Dude acts like Nike wasn’t his best option at maximizing how much money he can make. Throw him into obscurity with Kanye https://t.co/jh5Ak38w8M
— David White (@david_white5) December 5, 2022
Drop your own shoe by yourself! #fuckNIKE https://t.co/OA9mHFHx60
— Waveologists. (@2Twosday) December 5, 2022
on god https://t.co/2ljdnRbrcu
— javi (@uhhjavi) December 5, 2022
All facts https://t.co/E77GWHzzJX
— shelly (@shelly_400) December 5, 2022
Love to lose multi-million dollar endorsements because of not avoiding tweeting links to antisemitism https://t.co/pgj4lKG2rw
— Cousin DPOY (not notable) (@AndrewDoxy) December 5, 2022
Irving has obviously found himself embroiled in controversy quite a bit in recent weeks. It has already cost him a lot of money, and if he doesn’t find a way to replace his Nike income, may continue to.
It will be interesting to see what direction Irving’s career goes in after this coming summer. He is set to become a free agent, but his past continues to follow him around.
Crazy NFL fans now want Sam Ponder punished for her outfit choice. https://t.co/uyFPoSuuYg
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 5, 2022
The Los Angeles Lakers were at one point prepared to trade the farm for him. Their current position on Irving is telling.
If Irving wins a title with the Nets this year, obviously a lot of his problems will go away.
But at the moment, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen.
Related: ESPN’s Sam Ponder Cries About Deshaun Watson’s Browns Debut
Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
