Nike has ended its eight-year relationship with professional basketball star Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets player recently embroiled in controversy after posting a link to an anti-Semitic film on social media.
Nike’s move comes a month after the sportswear giant suspended its relationship with Irving over a tweet he shared in October. In a one-line statement to CBS News on Monday, Nike said, “Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete.”
Irving’s agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, told CBS MoneyWatch that “both Nike and Kyrie have mutually decided to part ways.”
Irving’s shoe deal with Nike was one of the NBA’s most lucrative deals, earning him about $11 million in revenue each year, Sportico reported. Irving signed his first Nike footwear deal in 2014 and was set to release a new model last month, the Kyrie 8s.
“We wish Nike nothing but the best in their future endeavors,” Riley Irving said in a statement Monday.
Nike made his split from Irving official on Monday, but there were earlier signs the relationship was fraying.
“Kyrie has crossed the line. It’s so simple,” Nike founder Phil Knight told CNBC last month. “He made some statements that we just can’t stand by and that’s why we ended the relationship. And I was okay with that.”
Nike dropped the price of Irving’s signature shoes a day after the split was announced, offering discounts of up to 50% on some models.
Irving posted a tweet on Monday suggesting he’s relieved to be free of the Nike deal, which was due to end in October 2023.
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) December 5, 2022
“Anyone who has spent their hard-earned money on anything I’ve ever published I consider family and we’re forever connected,” he wrote. “It’s time to show how powerful we are as a community.”
The controversy began on October 27 when Irving tweeted a link to the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. The synopsis on Amazon states that the 2018 film “unveils the true identity of the children of Israel.” But the film mentions conspiracy theories about Jews, including false claims that Jews dominated the slave trade.
The following day, Nets owner Joe Tsai wrote on Twitter that he was “disappointed” that Irving appeared to be supporting a film “based on a book full of anti-Semitic disinformation.” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also condemned Irving’s tweet.
The team suspended Irving for five games after the post. It was the second straight season that the Nets have sent Irving off the team. Last year the Nets banned Irving when he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, rendering him ineligible for home games.
In a post on his Instagram account following his most recent suspension, Irving apologized for tweeting about the documentary.
“To all Jewish families and communities hurt and affected by my post, I am deeply sorry for causing you any pain and I apologize,” he wrote. “Initially, I reacted emotionally to being unfairly labeled an anti-Semite instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish brothers and sisters who were hurt by the hateful comments in the documentary.”
Celebrities and Jewish organizations have called on Amazon and Barnes & Noble to remove the film from their platforms, but Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said last week the e-commerce company had no plans to pull it.
Despite breaking up with Irving, Nike continues to have numerous contracts with NBA players. The company has shoe stores with some of the biggest names in the league, including Paul George, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Christopher J Brooks