Kyrie Irving, the NBA All-Star guard now with the Dallas Mavericks, has signed a monster shoe deal with Chinese sports brand ANTA, after being cut loose from Nike late last year.
Irving will not only have a signature product line with ANTA, but has also been named the brand’s chief creative officer of basketball.
Irving’s management company, A11Even, negotiated the deal.
It bears noting that Irving’s signature line with Nike made the US sportswear brand over $2.6 billion in revenues in the past seven years.
Irving is the latest NBA player on ANTA’s roster, headlined by Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson and Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward.
Thompson has been the face of the brand after leaving Nike in 2015, signing a reported 10-year extension worth $80 million in 2017. He has released eight signature sneakers under the KT line.
Such is Thompson’s influence with the brand, ANTA has also signed his Golden State teammate Kevon Looney and former Warrior James Wiseman to deals.
Hayward has been with ANTA since 2019, releasing four signature sneakers under the GH line.
Other notable players signed by ANTA include LA Clippers guard Terance Mann and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso.
Irving will not only actively serve as ANTA Basketball’s chief creative officer, but he will also “seek to recruit basketball players, independent brands, influential figures in pop culture, artists, musicians, pioneers in environmentalism, trailblazers in humanitarianism and designers to also collaborate with him to create additional product lines under Kyrie’s signature line. Through these collaborations and in collaboration with Anta, Kyrie will strive to collectively shape and introduce new vision, innovation, and creativity in signature sportswear category”.
ANTA will leverage its extensive global resources to craft and manufacture Kyrie Irving’s signature product line and make it available worldwide.
Also, ANTA will launch the ‘ANTA x KYRIE Youth Basketball Training Camps’ in China as well as in the U.S. to jointly support the development and promotion of basketball and its culture.
“I’m incredibly excited about this collaboration. The first step in becoming partners is to share the same dreams, goals, and missions. ANTA’s rapid development over the years, openness to creativity, willingness to embrace family and teamwork, expertise in areas like product innovation and manufacturing processes have left a remarkable impression on not just me, but also my A11Even team who will work side by side with me in creating something truly generationally special,” remarked Kyrie Irving when addressing the partnership. “Being appointed as ANTA Basketball’s Chief Creative Officer is more than just a realization of my dreams; in fact, it may be the perfect opportunity for me, an individual who always dreams big and values independent thinking, to leverage my artistic talents to build, create, and unify the culture both on and off court.”
“It is our genuine love for basketball that brought Kyrie and ANTA together, a love that transcends age, gender, race and backgrounds,” said Mr. Xu Yang , CEO of ANTA, when discussing the partnership. “We believe this collaboration will create a fusion of Chinese and Western cultures and bring more vitality and creativity for us to continuously push the boundaries and explore the infinite possibilities at the intersection of basketball and culture. ANTA will also play a pivotal role in helping Kyrie Irving articulate his basketball philosophy and convey his unwavering passion for life and art through the products. Together, we will continue to advance our efforts in supporting the development and promotion of basketball and its culture, never ceasing our passion and love for the game of basketball.
Kyrie Irving’s inaugural on-court signature shoes and lifestyle footwear will be unveiled in the first quarter of 2024, with the full range of products set to hit the market simultaneously.
Prior to signing with ANTA, Irving had been a Nike signature athlete for the entirety of his NBA career until last December. Irving and Nike’s partnership ended after he shared an antisemitic film on Twitter, which resulted in him being suspended by his team at the time, the Brooklyn Nets. Nike also suspended its relationship with Irving, then shortly after announced that it was cutting ties with the All-Star guard.
