SUMMARY
- Kyrie Irving is signing Drederick Irving to a signature shoe deal with ANTA.
- Drederick's sneakers will be available in Foot Locker, however, the price point hasn't been revealed.
Kyrie Irving has been doing great things and the world has to start appreciating his gestures even more. We’ve seen the 32-year-old work his way back to the top in the NBA recently, mentoring a young Dallas Mavericks team to the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years. Irving is on the brink of winning his second championship and all the Mavericks need is four wins.
Over a year ago, Irving was possibly the biggest enemy of state in the league. After the major anti-semitism controversy, Nike quickly dropped the Mavericks point guard. He had signed a multi-million dollar deal with the company and released a signature shoe that was one of the fastest-selling products as well. Soon after being terminated, he signed a five-year deal with a Chinese shoe company called ANTA.
Kyrie Irving signs father, Drederick Irving to an ANTA signature shoe deal
On being signed by ANTA, Kyrie Irving was appointed as their Chief Creative Officer. The 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year is currently in charge of recruiting and signing other athletes to the brand. Who did Kyrie sign for his first signature deal? His father, Drederick Irving. NBA insider, Shams Charania stated that Irving is finalizing a deal to sign the elder Irving to ANTA.
Sources: Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving is signing the first signature athlete for his ANTA shoe line: His father, Drederick Irving.
This marks the first time in pro sports a player has signed his dad to a signature shoe deal. pic.twitter.com/PB7ZXquVwY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2024
“He’s my biggest fan. One of my harshest critics. But he’s always been honest,” said Irving. This marks the first time in sports history that a pro athlete has signed their father to a signature deal as well. Shams also revealed that Dredrick’s sneakers will be available at Foot Locker established across the United States from September onwards. Details regarding the price and release date haven’t been announced yet.
Kyrie Irving is expected to release a follow-up to ANTA KAI 1
Earlier during the 2023-24 season, Kyrie Irving had dropped his first official signature shoe design with ANTA called KAI 1. One of the first pairs was named “Artist On Court” and it debuted prior to the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend. Since then, he has had a few more colorways come out such as “Chief Hela” and an NBA Finals-inspired shoe as well.
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Hypebeast recently stated that Kyrie will most likely release a lifestyle follow-up to KAI 1. These sneakers are low-top, daily-use shoes for the common crowd. The KAI 1 Tribe is yet to be officially announced by Kyrie and ANTA. The price point of this sneaker is also yet to be announced.