Nike suspends their deal with Kyrie Irving: How much money could he lose?

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving continues to face the consequences of posting a link to a video that contained anti-Semitic subject matter and falsehoods.

Sportswear company Nike has suspended their relationship with the point guard effective immediately and will no longer launch the player’s Kyrie 8 signature shoe.

“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism. To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately,” according to Nike’s statement.

Kyrie’s multi-million Nike deal

According to Sportico, Irving’s contract with the sports apparel giant was the 7th largest in 2021 among basketball players at $11 million. His signature shoes are reportedly the most popular among NBA players, second only to the sneakers from Kobe Bryant’s line during the 2019-20 season.

Nike made the announcement regarding Irving a day after he was suspended by the Nets for at least five games following his refusal to apologize for his tweet.

The team said the suspension without pay would take effect “until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures” that would address the damage his behavior has caused. As it stands, he is set to to lose approximately $2.2 million in salary because of his suspension.

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Kyrie’s apology

The 30-year-old finally apologized for his tweet and took responsibility for his actions after he was penalized by the Nets.

In an Instagram post, he wrote, “To all Jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize… I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate.”