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Entering this offseason, Kyrie Irving was the biggest basketball free agent and sneaker free agent. However, it appears that Irving has found his next sneaker sponsor. Irving wore the Anta Shock Wave Pro 5 basketball shoes at his annual summer basketball camp.
Anta is a Chinese sports equipment company founded in 1991. The brand currently sponsors seven athletes in the NBA.
Most notably, Klay Thompson and Gordon Hayward, who both have signature sneakers with the brand.
While unanswered questions about Irving’s new sneaker deal with Anta remain, NBA fans have their own questions about his future on the court.
As one of the league’s best point guards in a highly competitive position across the league, Kyrie Irving has yet to sign a deal for the 2023-2024 season and beyond.
After early playoff exits and disappointing seasons with the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Dallas Mavericks, Irving’s individual skill and mastery of his position has not translated into team success by any tangible measure.
Kyrie was mentally checked out of Nike a long time
In July 2021, unoffical images of Irving’s eighth signature sneaker surfaced online. Irving accused Nike of excluding him from the design process and called the shoe “trash.”
After a very public breakup with Nike, in November 2022, the Brooklyn Nets suspended Irving for eight games due to a social media post featuring a film deemed antisemitic.
The shoe was later renamed the Nike Kyrie Infinity, and Irving wore it during his limited time on the court during the 2021-22 NBA season. In May 2022, ESPN reported that Nike was unlikely to extend Irving’s signature shoe deal beyond the 2022-23 NBA season, according to Sports Illustrated.
Fans looking to purchase Anta basketball shoes can visit KICKS CREW.