Kyrie Irving's Shoes Remain a Favorite Among NBA Players – Sports Illustrated

The Brooklyn Nets have won six of their last eight games and appear to have placed the worst imaginable start to the NBA season behind them. It is no coincidence that Brooklyn's controversial point guard, Kyrie Irving, has played in the last eight games.
Last month Brooklyn fired head coach Steve Nash, and that still was not the biggest story surrounding the franchise. For several weeks the team and the league had to deal with the fallout from Irving's rhetoric which was deemed antisemitic. 
Within a week, Brooklyn suspended Irving and Nike suspended its relationship with its signature athlete. Additionally, Nike canceled the launch of Irving's ninth signature shoe, the Nike Kyrie 8.
View of Thomas Bryant's Nike Kyrie Infinity shoes.
© Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
Despite losing his sneaker deal, Irving has continued to wear his Nike basketball shoes on the court. Irving has gone with older shoes and has hand-written messages on the sides of the shoes.
Irving is not the only player still wearing Nike Kyrie shoes. It is apparent that his signature line remains one of the most popular choices among his colleagues. Earlier this summer, we covered the news that Irving's shoes are the favorite choice among WNBA players.
View of Cedi Osman's Nike Kyrie Low 5 shoes.
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Few, if any, NBA players spoke out against Irving's controversial remarks last month. Even fewer seem ready to boycott wearing his shoes. This speaks to Irving's clout in the basketball world and the popularity of his signature line.
After Nike canceled the Kyrie line, the company emailed stores asking they remove the soon-to-be-released Nike Kyrie 8 from their sales floors. The email stated old merchandise could stay, but nothing new could be sold.
It will be worth watching to see what players choose to wear after Irving's signature line disappears. But for now, there is no denying that Nike Kyrie's are still a highly popular shoe in the NBA.
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Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks and sneakers. He has reported on the NBA for several years, interviewed the biggest names in the sport, and is the author of “Kobe Bryant’s Sneaker History (1996-2020)”.

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