Kyrie Irving won people’s hearts ahead of the NBA Finals. The Mavs star guard went through a rough patch in the last few years with controversies circling his head. These controversies eventually stripped away his Nike deal, and he was forced to play without a sponsor briefly. Until Irving signed a $120 million contract with Anta, a Chinese sports brand with a net worth of $29.98 billion! Infamously known as a troublemaker, he’s been on a good run lately. He doubled it down with a sweet gesture to his father, Drederick.

Uncle Drew signed up his dad as the first Anta signature athlete. Following the honor, the hoops community swarmed in to appreciate the former NBA Champion. Notably, Damian Lillard took to his Instagram stories, shared the announcement, and wrote, “Fire.” The hoop nations’ famous shooting coach, Chris Matthews A. K. A Lethal Shooter, also expressed his appreciation. He wrote, “I love this. Genius.” Jared Dudley and Austin Rivers also joined the bandwagon and expressed their appreciation with a flurry of ‘fire’ emojis.

Kyrie Irving didn’t just sign up for any other usual deal but created history. Shams Charania, in his post, wrote, “This marks the first time in pro sports a player has signed his dad to a signature shoe deal.” The Mavs guard, who had signed a 5-year deal with Anta, also became the Chief Creative Officer of the brand. With that privilege, he has the power to recruit professional players, celebrities, influential figures, and artists into the company. The 8x All-Star took the opportunity to honor his father. Moreover, Drederick Irving isn’t new to the sport. The 58-year-old had played at Boston University before lacing up professional basketball in Australia.

Kyrie Irving and his “full-circle moment”

In the league of Jordans and LeBrons, Kyrie Irving’s signature line was a pretty big deal amongst the sneakerheads. Moreover, Nike was all set to launch The Kyrie 8 shoes before everything came crashing down. Irving turned into a public enemy No.1 in no time! In early 2022, the star guard shared a link to a documentary via his X handle, which was against the political beliefs of the league and Nike.

Kai not only was suspended but also lost his deal with the global sports brand. On top of it, everyone turned their heads against him. After facing an 8-game suspension, Irving returned to the floor only after formally apologizing. But this time, he had to step without the Swish symbol on his sneaker. The star played without a deal for over a year with tapped-up shoes covering the Nike logo.

On one fine day in 2023, Kai announced his association with the Chinese brand with a special post on his Instagram. The caption read, “This is truly a full circle moment that I will not take for granted nor underappreciated, given the many obstacles it took to get here.” Indeed, he didn’t take the deal for granted. He reached the NBA Finals and he’s made his dad a part of his success story too.

What do you make of Irving’s journey following the Nike saga? Let us know in the comments.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.