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Tuesday, December 6, 2022 – Sportwear giant, Nike has ended its partnership with Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving.
The two sides have parted ways one month after Nike suspended its partnership with Irving in the wake of the player’s anti-Semitism row, according to Shams Charania.
Irving faced criticism and backlash after sharing a link to the Amazon page for the 2018 film ‘Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America’ which contained anti-Semitic tropes.
Nike cut its ties with Irving in November after he initially refused to apologize for his controversial tweet.
In a statement, the company said it was ‘deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation’.
The brand also said it would not launch the Kyrie 8s – the shoe designed by the player and company – which were set to be released later in November.
Irving signed with Nike in 2011 and has had a signature line of shoes since 2014, with his annual endorsement deal believed to be worth at least $11 million.
Irving has one of the most popular signature shoes in the NBA and is now a sneaker-free agent.
He has continued to wear Nike shoes since returning to the court, despite the brand suspending its partnership.
Nike co-founder and chairman Phil Knight had suggested soon after the suspension of the partnership that the relationship between the brand and Irving was ‘likely over.’
Irving had also been suspended by the Nets after he initially failed to apologize for the controversial tweet.
Irving was suspended by the team on November 3 for a minimum of five games, hours after he refused to say he had no anti-Semitic beliefs when meeting with reporters at the Nets’ practice facility.
He offered a belated apology following his suspension, but only after several contentious exchanges with the media. In one instance, he told reporters: ‘I’m not going to stand down on anything I believe in.’
Irving missed eight games through suspension before apologizing again on November 20 to anyone who felt threatened or hurt when he posted the link to the documentary with anti-Semitic material, clearing the way to finally play again for the Nets.
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