About a month after Nike pulled its upcoming Kyrie 8 shoe and suspended its partnership with Kyrie Irving, the retailer has officially cut ties with the basketball star.
Nike on Monday confirmed that Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete. The company did not respond to questions about how Nike plans to handle the remaining product from its partnership with Kyrie Irving. The relationship came under scrutiny after Kyrie Irving’s discussion of an antisemitic movie.
“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” a Nike spokesperson said at the time of the suspension. “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”
Kyrie Irving’s agent told Retail Dive the decision was mutual.
“We mutually decided to part ways and wish Nike the best in their future endeavors,” Shetellia Riley Irving said.
In a series of tweets that appear to respond to the end of the Nike deal, Irving posted a Gif saying “there’s nothing more priceless than being free” and also urged his fans to continue to support him.
“Anyone who has even spent their hard earned money on anything I have ever released, I consider you FAMILY and we are forever connected,” Irving said in a tweet. “It’s time to show how powerful we are as a community.”
The end of the partnership comes not long after Adidas formally severed its connection with Kanye West, also known as Ye. That decision was also tied to antisemitic behavior, which Adidas called “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous.” While Adidas ended production of Yeezy branded products immediately, the retailer said it plans to continue to sell the designs without the Yeezy name attached to them starting next year.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a comment from Kyrie Irving’s agent.
