Kyrie Irving’s first signature shoe after Nike split revealed & fans are loving it

Matthew Legros
Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving playing against the Phoenix Suns on February 23.

After Kyrie Irving’s divorce from Nike in 2022, his debut signature sneaker with ANTA is set to release on March 6, and dans are loving the highly awaited model.

The Chinese sneaker brand revealed the official release date for the KAI 1 “Artist on the Court” shoe on Monday, February 26.

Irving, as well as Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, gave NBA and sneaker enthusiasts a first look at the anticipated silhouette in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

The former 2016 NBA champion wore them again in Dallas’ matchup against the Phoenix Suns last Friday, which got fans talking ahead of ANTA’s official announcement.

Kyrie Irving fans stoked over shoe release

Irving took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on the day of the reveal to share his excitement over next month’s drop while adding to the buzz on social media.

The “Uncle Drew” star, who emerged as one of the NBA’s most popular stars with captivating dribble moves and an incredible layup package, is continuing his mass appeal in the sneaker sphere.

Fans are the reason behind this continuance, as they praised the design and vibrant colorway:

Others slammed Nike for letting go of one of their most successful athletes and shoe series’ in the process:

Irving’s re-emergence on the sneaker market looks like it will do numbers. As ANTA’s Chief Creative Officer, Irving is expected to drive the brand’s prominence in the basketball world. Positive fan reactions serve as positive prelude to the release.

About The Author

Matthew graduated from Brooklyn College in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Communications. In the past, he's written for Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, and SB Nation. On top of penning scripts for Empire Sports Media, Matthew covers the latest NBA, NFL and Boxing news for Dexerto. His expertise lies in basketball, with a personal passion for track-and-field. You can contact him at matthew.legros@dexerto.com.