Kyrie Irving has continued to hide the Nike brand on his sneakers, but the Dallas Mavericks star took a more innovative method than ever before during the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
Irving has continued to wear his famous shoes, although with tape and text in lieu of the swoosh after Nike ended its agreement with him in December following criticism over posting a link to an Amazon documentary and subsequent comments.
Irving’s signature shoe may have had tasselled fringes due to his presence in Utah or his recent migration to Texas.
Irving wore a different pair during the first half, opting for a more discreet design of tape with a written phrase emblazoned on it.
Irving had ‘Afrakan Revolution’ written next to a faintly sketched infinity logo on the sole of his tasselled shoe, as is commonly done on his on-court footwear.
Irving tweeted a collection of his unique shoe designs Monday morning, writing ‘Thank you God/ancestors for all of our protection. I love creating moments with my Art for MY TRIBES around the world. I am Hela.’
Irving wore a brighter pair of Nike’s during the first half, with a common message on the side
On Monday morning, the one-time NBA champion released a collection of his unique shoe designs.Since Nike discontinued his $11 million-a-year contract with the former Brooklyn Nets playmaker, it’s become something of a tradition.Irving signed with Nike in 2011 and has had a signature shoe line since 2014. He is currently a sneaker free agent after owning one of the most popular signature shoes in the NBA.During All-Star Week, when asked who had the best shoe line, two-time MVP and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said, “Besides myself, it has to be Irving.”
‘Probably Kyrie Irving, but he’s not with Nike no more.’
Irving had ‘I AM FREE Thank you God… I AM’ inscribed on one side of the shoes in his first game after their multiyear partnership ended. The opposite side featured a more straightforward and amusing message: ‘logo here.’
Irving switched sneakers at halftime in a win over Charlotte on December 8, but inexplicably elected not to cover up the Nike branding on an ocean blue pair.
The Nets suspended the Melbourne-born player for eight games after he shared the contentious Amazon documentary despite offering no commentary beside the link.
Irving has continued to disguise the Nike logo since making his Mavericks debut on February 8 after being traded from Brooklyn.
Along with the constant message of ‘Afrikan Liberation,’ Irving is frequently seen wearing shoes with the words ‘Kai’ and ‘AII Even Tribe,’ ostensibly in reference to his Native American origin.
Irving caused some damage in his customised sneakers, scoring 32 points for Team LeBron in the All-Star Game, the most by any Mavs player in franchise history.