‘Doubts’ on Nike resuming its Kyrie Irving partnership
Amid Kyrie Irving’s anti-semitic post, Nike will most likely not resume its partnership with the Nets star
In response to the Brooklyn star’s controversial post on social media, a link to an antisemitic film, and his refusal to deny holding antisemitic beliefs, Nike suspended their relationship last Friday.
The first company also canceled the release of the Kyrie 8 shoe.
Phil Knight: “Kyrie stepped over the line”
Nike co-founder Phil Knight said Wednesday that their decade-long relationship is most likely to end because Kyrie “stepped over the line.” Knight continued that “it’s kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can’t abide by, and that’s why we ended the relationship,” said Knight.
Related: Kyrie Irving’s contract situation: Salary and years left with the Brooklyn Nets
In addition to Nike’s suspension, Irving has also faced a few other high-profile consequences since then:
- The Nets announced they had suspended Irving indefinitely for at least five games and gave him a list of tasks to complete before even getting reinstated. Additionally, he had to meet with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
- The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement condemning both the movie he shared in a since-deleted tweet and his subsequent comments.
Irving did take too instagram to issue an apology on Thursday night, but that was only after the Nets suspended him.