On Thursday, Kyrie Irving gave fans a preview of the newest installment of his Nike shoe series. In what may be his final project with the checkmark logo, fans were expecting something big — especially considering all of the dope designs all of his previous kicks had.
But when he released the first look at the Kyrie 9s, people were disappointed, to say the least.
An early look at what could be Kyrie’s ninth and possibly final signature sneaker with Nike. Thoughts? 👀 @brkicks
(via kicksdong/IG) pic.twitter.com/2zZulrudWJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 28, 2022
Not his finest piece of work, that’s for sure. It looks more like a running shoe than a basketball shoe, and it lacks the hint of personality that made all of the other Kyries so unique and appealing.
In the comments, fans made sure to express their feelings about the sneakers without censorship.
https://twitter.com/bayelrey80/status/1552516838361165825
These 🤒 pic.twitter.com/qzpZ6k1kX2
— Joseph Nash (@JNashh13) July 28, 2022
This shit looks like the air monarchs 💀💀Dad shoe shit 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/LRoWY33GHM
— Alex (@0toHerr0) July 28, 2022
https://twitter.com/ivory_eth/status/1552519727267717124https://twitter.com/QuentinBoyden/status/1552606908854550531
I gotta see a different colorway cause this not it rn 😂
— Bo Knows Ball (@bo_knows_ball) July 28, 2022
https://twitter.com/ItsJB23_/status/1552504496068198402
— George Kolonias (@georg3kolonias) July 28, 2022
His worst sneaker to date. Nobody buying those bobos 🤣 Nike trying to push him out the contract 🤔
— George Turner (@iamlargand) July 28, 2022
As you can see, these kicks are unlikely to be a top seller. Whether it’s the colors or the overall design itself, they send off some serious dad vibes and that’s just not the audience Nike should be aiming for with the Kyries.
Regarding the future of the Irving, and Nike partnership, this could be the end. After so much turmoil and controversy, Kyrie is a risky guy to work with right now and Nike has been described as ‘unlikely’ to extend Uncle Drew’s contract.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has long had one of Nike’s most popular and profitable signature basketball shoes, but uncertainties surrounding his NBA future have left the company unlikely to extend him to a similar signature deal beyond the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN.
Irving has a new edition of his shoe set to debut in the fall, but that is expected to be the final year of a lucrative signature series that he has had with Nike since 2014, sources said.
So, whether you love or hate these shoes, the 9s could be marking the end of an era for sneakerheads.
But it will be interesting to see what comes next and if another brand decides to pick up what Nike has rejected.
