Months After His $11 Million Fallout with Nike, Kyrie Irving Hints at Next Potential Deal

Several months ago, NBA star Kyrie Irving stirred a massive controversy with his allegedly antisemitic comments that cost him a lot more than he’d probably anticipated. Apart from the brutal backlash, Irving was suspended by his former team, the Brooklyn Nets, and was told to complete a certain set of tasks in order to return back to the court. To make matters worse, he also lost his contract with billion-dollar shoe brand Nike, which fetched him $11 million a year. Irving has come a long way since then and is reportedly considering a new shoe deal.

In October 2022, Kyrie Irving took to Twitter and shared a link to a 2011 movie that was widely criticized for its antisemitic trope. After Irving refused to apologize for his action, the Nets suspended him for a minimum of five games. He eventually made his comeback after missing eight games when he issued an apology and completed his assigned tasks.

Kyrie Irving looking to move on with a new deal

After the disastrous outcome of the Nike deal, Kyrie Irving recently gave a major update that might just open new doors for him. The Dallas Mavericks star has reportedly caught the interest of Chinese shoe company “Li-Ning”. During a media conference, Irving talked about his plans of visiting the East Asian country.

He dropped a few hints that indicated that the 8x All-Star is likely to sign the deal. During the media conference, he said, “Yeah, absolutely. I think I’ll set my plans once I sign with a potential shoe brand. That’s usually how it goes in my scheduling from June to August or September, usually planning an Asia trip or China trip specifically.

Furthermore, he added, “Once I sign with a shoe brand, I’ll start wrapping around in kind of this international world tour to introduce myself as a new brand signee or signature athlete.”

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Nets had issued a to-do list for Irving

After ordering a minimum of five-game suspension, the Brooklyn Nets prepared a list of tasks that Kyrie Irving had to complete in order to rejoin his teammates. According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, the list included issuing a public apology and condemning the movie. Irving also had to donate $500K to an anti-hate cause.

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Additionally, he had to undergo sensitivity training before meeting with the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Leaders. Lastly, he was supposed to meet up with Nets owner Joe Tsai in order to convey his understanding of the situation. Irving was eventually allowed to return to the court on November 20 during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies.