The fallout for Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets continues.
We don’t know what the future holds for the player, with some sources saying he and NBA commissioner Adam Silver had a good conversation the other day and others claiming that Irving may never play for the Nets or any team again.
The bottom line is this: Irving’s life is still very complicated following his promotion of an antisemitic film on social media.
Nike’s co-founder Phil Knight says their relationship with Kyrie Irving is likely finished
“He made some statements that we just can’t abide by, and that’s why we ended the relationship. And, I was fine with that.”
(Via AP) pic.twitter.com/H1pgfULnll
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) November 10, 2022
Last week, Nike suspended its relationship with Irving and now more news is coming from the shoe giant.
Nike co-founder Phil Knight told CNBC that the company’s relationship with Irving is probably done forever.
“He made some statements that we just can’t abide by, and that’s why we ended the relationship. And, I was fine with that,” Knight said.
This is a major blow to Irving and a sign that his business life – and his legacy – may forever be impacted by all of this.
End Of The Road
Irving’s business deal with Nike was reportedly already nearing an end before his antisemitic actions.
His contract is set to expire after this current NBA season.
The Kyrie 8, Irving’s latest signature shoe, was set to be released in the near future but Nike announced that it would not release it.
So now Irving has lost a major business partnership and his place within the team is in question.
While he can recover from all of this, the chances of that happening seem less and less likely.
Watching his Nets play on Wednesday night was like watching a team that was moving on from Irving and the drama he has caused.
Nike is leaving Irving behind, will the Nets do the same?