Kyrie Irving Spotted in Mysterious New Sneakers

If sports fans bounced back and forth between NFL and NBA games on New Year’s Day this year, they might have missed a sly sneaker hint from Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving.

The eight-time NBA All-Star and former Brooklyn Nets player took the floor for the game in all-black, unreleased Anta Sports sneakers with Irving’s signature Anta logo, released in September as part of the baller’s partnership with the Chinese apparel and footwear maker. Irving scored 14 points in 32 minutes of action during the lopsided 127-90 annihilation.

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His new kicks caused fans to speculate over whether the shoes could be part of his sneaker line with Anta, which does not have a public release date.

Prior to the Jan. 1 game, Irving had been seen donning Anta’s Shock Wave 5 Pro sneakers for his on-court appearances. Fans noticed the switch.

“Woooaah those don’t look like the ANTA Shockwave pros,” wrote X (formerly Twitter) user @jj21thegoatky in response to the photos of Irving’s new shoes.

If the rumors are true, the launch of a new Irving sneaker or shoe line could light up the sneakerhead community. His previous lines with former partner Nike garnered a great deal of hype.

But neither Irving, who acts as Anta Sports’ chief creative officer, nor the brand itself have a squeaky-clean history.

Irving’s last sneaker release was set for 2022 with Nike, which had a contract with the outspoken athlete at the time. But when a fan leaked an image of the Kyrie 8 Infinity sneaker, Irving himself had some choice words about the design.

“I have nothing to do with the design or marketing of the upcoming #Kyrie8, IMO these are trash! I have absolutely nothing to do with them! Nike plans to release it without my okay regardless of what I say, so I apologize in advance to all of my sneaker heads and true supporters of the #KAI11 brand,” he commented on an Instagram post in 2021.

As it turns out, Irving didn’t have to worry about athleticwear mogul’s design ever making it to store shelves.

Nike pulled thousands of pairs of the Kyrie 8 Infinity shoe from stores prior to their sale after Irving refused to apologize for a social media post promoting the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which features antisemitic content.

Not long after it reversed course on selling the NBA star’s shoe, Nike terminated its contract with Irving, whose former team, the Brooklyn Nets, had suspended him for his refusal to say he had no antisemitic beliefs.

Irving’s new partner has some scuffs on its record, too.

Anta Sports has a less-than-stellar track record when it comes to selling products free from links to forced labor. Lawmakers slammed the NBA last year for allowing the use or sale of NBA-branded gear, garments and shoes made with modern slavery.

And the NBA isn’t alone in having its feet held to the fire for goods made with forced labor in athletics. The Olympics faced major backlash for contracting with Anta for the official apparel of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

Olympic organizers denied any forced labor involvement, but Anta itself admitted in March of 2021 that it has previously purchased Chinese cotton, including from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and that it will continue to do so. Evidence suggests that myriad Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities are forced to pick cotton and toil in factories against their will in the northern Chinese territory.

The United States has adopted legislation that requires importers to prove they are not importing products made in, or with materials that originated in, Xinjiang in the form of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). That’s because, the U.S. and many others allege, any goods made in whole or in part in Xinjiang have been made with modern slavery, prompting several Western governments to brand activity there as “genocide.”

If Irving and Anta do have new kicks cooking, there could be concerns over importing them into the United States, though there’s no telling how much stateside demand there is for the Chinese brand.

As of January, the Anta Sports site did not offer shipping into the United States on other NBA-related products, like Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson’s shoe line. However, U.S. fans can purchase the KT8 line from Thompson’s website.

Anta did not return Sourcing Journal’s requests for comment.