via Imago
Credits: Imago
via Imago
Credits: Imago
In the sports gear market, Adidas and Nike might dominate in revenue, but don’t overlook ANTA. They’re third as the world’s largest sporting goods manufacturer, surpassing Li-Ning, another prominent Chinese brand. In July 2023, Dallas Maverick point guard Kyrie Irving signed a five-year deal with ANTA, marking a new chapter in his career. With that, he became a ‘brand mate’ of Former Golden State Warriors Shooting guard Klay Thompson who has been associated with the brand since 2015. This season, their connection became stronger.
After playing 13 seasons with the Warriors, Thompson joined the Mavericks. Bidding goodbye to his Splash Brothers, he quickly formed a talented trio with Kyrie and Luka Doncic. Now, just like their winning combination on the court, the Kyrie-Klay duo is looking to elevate the $34 billion ANTA brand to new heights. But that does not mean it is all about good vibes sans competition!
On media day, Kyrie Irving was asked if there would be a friendly competition between him and Klay Thompson regarding their signature shoes, especially since they’re now teammates. Kyrie responded, “Of course there is gonna be competition, there is competition with my dad…who had the better signature series. So you know, even when Nike and Bron and stuff like that, it wasn’t a terrible thing to have healthy competition in this space.”
For context, when Kyrie signed with ANTA, he also took on the role of Basketball’s Chief Creative Officer, giving him the authority to bring in other players and celebrities. One of his first moves was to bring in his dad, Drederick Irving, a former basketball player with Boston University from 1984 to 1988. According to Athletic, this marked the first time in pro sports that a player has signed his dad to a signature shoe deal. So it’s only natural that a friendly rivalry would again develop between him and Klay over whose Player Exclusives are better.
Klay is expected to introduce his 10th signature model, the KT X, arriving this fall. But Kyrie was also thrilled to have Klay both as his teammate discussing gameplan on the court and as a business partner. “It’s just great to have a teammate here that I can on the floor with and also somebody I can be on the boardroom with, you know, making business decisions,” Kyrie said. He even dropped hints that something big might be coming up.
I asked @KyrieIrving about being on a team with a fellow @ANTAsportswear athlete @KlayThompson , would it be a friendly competition on who has the better PEs (player exclusives) 🤣
Watch full interview https://t.co/wXUbheXf8x#NBA #Sneakers #Kyrieirving #Klaythompson pic.twitter.com/kxvAkj4XOR
— Chris Henderson (@See_Hendo) October 1, 2024
“I think you will see more collaborations from us, and you’ll see more apparel collaborations from us,” Kyrie added. He emphasized that their approach is grounded in principles and morality. “We feel like we stand on principles and morality instead of just taking money and trynna do whatever you want with it…it’s really just gear back to helping out our people,” Kyrie said. He is confident that the brand would be successful in the US.
“ANTA is huge in China and introducing the brand here in America, that’s our next phase uh, we are in a competitive pool with some of the best brands in the world. We feel like we are one of the best brands in the world as well. So we have champions there feel like it’s a winner’s brand,” Kyrie said, showing his confidence in the brand’s potential. Notably, it was Kyrie’s exclusive line with which ANTA had announced its official entry into the US market.
On March 6, the brand in collaboration with Kyrie launched its first sneakers: The eggplant purple “Kai 1”. From March to June, 11 editions of the line came out. ANTA captured attention when Kyrie hosted his first fashion show, “The Art of Movement,” at the ANTA Arena in Shenyang, China, unveiling his HELA apparel collection. Interestingly, Kyrie sported his signature sneaker, the Anta Kai 1 “Chief Hélà” in the Mavericks’ Game 1 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals on May 22. The name and the honey-yellow and brown color scheme of the sneaker have an interesting story.
Kyrie’s mother, Elizabeth Larson, was a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and lived on the reservation before being adopted by a family of Lutheran ministers. Kyrie first publicly revealed his connection to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe during a Christmas 2016 interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. After that, in 2018, he made his first visit to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation where he earned a new name.
Kyrie was honored with a naming ceremony, a tradition in Lakota culture. He was given the name “Little Mountain” or “Hélà” in the Lakota language, which reflects his family’s White Mountain lineage from the South Dakota portion of the Standing Rock Reservation. The colors of the Anta Kai 1 “Chief Hélà” paid homage to this Native American ancestry of Kyrie. The hanging leather tassels from the collar of the pair were probably also in line with that. And this is not the first time Kyrie has done it.
Kyrie wore a similar fringe pair of Nike Kyrie 8s during the 2023 All-Star game, probably to cover the Nike logo after his split with the brand. According to reports The Anta Kai 1 “Chief Hélà” is set for a general release sometime this year with a retail price expected to be $125. Understandably, the brand rivalry is building up between two of the Mav’s most dependable hands. But on the court, the two blend with each other seamlessly. Add Luka Doncic to the mix as well.
Can the Mavs aim for the top with Klay Thompson-Kyrie Irving-Luka Doncic?
“It s**ks,” Klay’s fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry is known to have said when Klay left for the Mavs. On the other hand, Klay’s father, Los Angeles Lakers player-turned-broadcaster Mychal Thompson was disappointed that his son chose the Mavs over the Lakers. But Kyrie said, “It was easy to convince Klay to come here” Klay’s own testimony will also support that it just took him one moment to make up his mind.
Klay recalled watching the Mavs losing to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA finals. “I was watching just as a basketball fan, and I did see, like, ‘Man, I could really help this team. They’re right there. Not big adjustments, but just very little adjustments from getting over the top. We’re knocking on the door, and that’s what really got me excited to be here,” Klay had said.
Now that the key member of the Golden State Warriors dynasty that won four NBA titles in eight years is with the Mavs, Kyrie thinks that the unfulfilled dream of the 2024 season might come to fruition. And why not? The five-time all-NBA first-teamer Doncic and eight-time NBA All-Star Kyrie look nicely complementing Klay.
The Mavs won the NBA’s Western Conference last season. But they are in need of spot-up shooting after their perimeter scoring suffered against Boston in the NBA Finals. Thompson might be the solution here. ESPN’s Tim Legler is super-hopeful about Thompson’s potential in 2025.
“I’m going with Klay Thompson… I think because of his relevance. He’s going to be on a team that can contend for a title. His impact on Dallas and the number of shots that he is going to get as opposed to the guys that were taking those same exact shots a year ago, you’re going to see a dramatic difference in Dallas with Klay Thompson,” he said via NBA Today. On paper, he can enhance the play of Doncic and Kyrie with his shooting.
The 5x NBA All-Star averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest while shooting 43.2% from the field and 38.7% from the three-point range in 77 games. Meanwhile, former Warriors player Gilbert Arenas thinks that Thompson’s life will also be easier with Doncic and Irving by his side.
Arguably two of the NBA’s most dynamic guards, last year, Irving scored 25.6 points per game, while Doncic averaged 33.9 points. Looking at that, Arenas thinks, “No one’s expecting Klay to average 21 PPG, 22 PPG. If he does, oh sh*t. But for the most part, that offense is run by two dudes. Going off during this season here and there. He can come in and average 20 PPG; it’s going to be less pressure for him though.” Understandably, Luka Doncic is also excited.
“When me and Kai have the ball, you basically can’t help off of Klay. If you leave him open, he’s going to make it,” Doncic said about the trio. The golden triangle is set. It will be interesting to see if it can trap a Championship in its net to firmly establish itself in the NBA landscape.
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Klay Thompson joining forces with Kyrie—Is this the ultimate rivalry we've been waiting for?