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It’s been a turbulent few weeks for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who delivered his best game since returning from suspension, torching the Charlotte Hornets for 33 points in their 122-116 win at Barclays Center.
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Irving, who missed eight games after sharing a documentary featuring anti-semitic messaging, was this week also dropped by Nike, bringing an end to his relationship with the brand that released seven signature sneakers during their partnership.
“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” the company said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”
On Wednesday night, Irving took to the court wearing a pair of his Kyrie 3 sneakers, covering up the Nike swoosh with black tape and his own hand-written message.
Kyrie Irving covered up the Swoosh on his Nike Kyrie 3 with some messages following his official split with the company.
Irving is a sneaker free agent pic.twitter.com/xyKS4qN1qd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2022
Emblazoned on his right shoe was the message “I am free” and “Thank you God… I am” with his left shoe reading “Logo Here.”
The 30-year-old shared a similar message on Twitter following the announcement from Nike.
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) December 5, 2022
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He followed that up with a message to his fans, writing on Twitter: “Anyone who has even spent their hard earned money on anything I have ever released, I consider you FAMILY and we are forever connected. It’s time to show how powerful we are as a community.”
It’s unclear what’s next for the sneaker free agent, however, Nike has moved quickly to fill the vacancy, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reporting that Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is in line to receive a new signature sneaker in the near future.