Kyrie Irving finished a 2021-22 NBA season where he was involved in a series of controversies. His refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine got him into a lot of trouble with the Brooklyn Nets and the NBA until he was free to play regardless of his vaccine status.
The point guard was heavily criticized for his decision and other things, and he was worried about his future in the league. He ultimately was free to play and tried to help the Nets win the championship, but the Boston Celtics had different plans.
Now Kyrie has entered the offseason and many questions loom around him. Besides his future with the Nets, which doesn’t look that clear right now, he could lose more opportunities due to his prior decisions.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Nike is unlikely to extend its shoe deal with the player given the uncertainty of his future in the NBA:
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.
Reached by ESPN, Nike did not deny the looming end to Irving’s signature shoe series.
“We don’t comment on contracts or rumors or speculation. Kyrie remains a Nike athlete,” a spokesperson told ESPN.
Because of Irving’s popularity, it is expected Nike will still offer some product associated with him in the future, like retro shoes from previous collections, sources said. But as discussions between Nike and Irving about his endorsement future have commenced recently, it has become apparent his relationship with the company will change — perhaps dramatically so.
Nobody knows what is going to happen with Irving during the summer. He seems committed to the Brooklyn Nets, but the team might have doubts about the player, especially knowing how unpredictable he can be at times.
Even though he’s still a solid star in the association and sells a lot of shoes, that hasn’t secured his continuity with Nike. This offseason is huge for Irving, and depending on how it goes, we’ll know if Nike executives change their minds or let Irving go to seek new opportunities.
