Following an initial suspension of its partnership with Kyrie Irving and the upcoming release of the Kyrie 8 signature shoe, Nike has now terminated its contract with Irving.
“Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike Athlete,” a Nike spokesperson told NPR.
The signature endorsement agreement Irving signed with the company had been due to expire on Oct. 1, 2023. The termination comes after Irving posted on social media a link to an antisemitic movie and book in late October.
Following the news of his contract being terminated, Irving tweeted: “Anyone who has even spent their hard earned money on anything I have ever released, I consider you FAMILY and we are forever connected. it’s time to show how powerful we are as a community.”
Anyone who has even spent their hard earned money on anything I have ever released, I consider you FAMILY and we are forever connected.
— Chief Hélà🤞🏾A11Even Tribe (@KyrieIrving) December 5, 2022
it’s time to show how powerful we are as a community.
🤞🏾♾
Nike suspended its relationship with Irving a month ago, saying it would no longer release the Kyrie 8 shoe.
After suspending Irving, Phil Knight, Nike’s co-founder, told CNBC on Nov. 10 that he doubted that the two would work out a future partnership.
Knight added in his CNBC interview, “Kyrie stepped over the line. It’s kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can’t abide by and that’s why we ended the relationship. And I was fine with that.”
