Nike has suspended its relationship with Kyrie Irving and cancelled its plans to release his next signature shoe, the latest chapter in the ongoing fallout since the Brooklyn Nets guard tweeted a link to a film containing antisemitic material.
The shoe giant announced yesterday that it will halt its relationship with Irving, who has been suspended by the Nets for what the team called a repeated failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”
The Nets made that move Thursday, banning Irving without pay for at least five games, and a day later, Nike made its decision.
Irving has had a signature line with Nike since 2014.
Nike says they are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.
Irving signed with Nike in 2011, shortly after becoming the No. 1 pick in that year’s NBA draft. Irving’s first signature shoe was released three years later, and the popularity of the Kyrie line led to him making a reported $11 million annually just from the Nike endorsement.
[Source: AP Sports]
