Kyrie Irving shared a well-made and exhilarating video on his Instagram which promotes his latest signature sneaker with ANTA while exploring his link with the No. 11.
The video goes through Kyrie Irving's major career achievements and takes special note of Kyrie's relationship with the No. 11. This includes Irving playing just 11 games for Duke in college, being drafted in the 2011 NBA Draft, and scoring his 11,000th NBA point on March 11. It also referred to Kyrie's game-sealing shot in the 2016 NBA Finals.
The video serves to promote Kyrie's latest shoes with ANTA, the Chinese sneaker brand for which Kyrie is Chief Creative Officer. The launch of the 'Kai 1' has been extremely positive, with the shoes becoming popular amongst fans and leading to record success for the brand.
The Kai 1 will be on full display in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, with Kyrie's Dallas Mavericks sealing a playoff spot and scheduled to face the Clippers in the 4-5 matchup. While this will be Kyrie's first playoff battle against the Clippers, the Mavs will be looking to avenge their first-round losses in 2020 and 2021, with Irving by Luka Doncic's side.
Kyrie Irving Is Changing The Narrative Around His Career
His success with ANTA shows how Irving has entered a new chapter of his career after a few tumultuous years in the eyes of the public. Irving lost his previous signature sneaker contract with Nike over anti-Semitism, with the year before that being spent embroiled in a battle with the state of New York to be allowed to play basketball without forcing the vaccine on him.
When he came to Dallas, everyone thought it would be a disastrous failure, which was proven right through the end of last season as Dallas crashed from No. 4 in the standings to No. 11 after the Irving trade. However, after a healthy offseason where Kyrie re-signed with the Mavs, he's been sensational for the franchise.
Luka Doncic has been eyeing a high-level co-star for years. While watching Jalen Brunson leave and develop into an All-NBA guard had to have hurt, he's happy to have someone with Kyrie's skill beside him, gushing over their partnership.
"Having Kyrie here has been a blessing. I always say, on the court, everybody knows what kind of player he is. Just off the court, he helps me a lot, not just me (but also) the whole team. He knows how to win the championship. He's a very humble guy. Great guy. On the court and off the court, it's just been a blessing to be with him."
Kyrie is averaging 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this season. With Irving being ruled out for the Mavs' next game against the Detroit Pistons, if he goes 8-11 in the final game of the season, Irving would seal a second season in his career as a member of the elusive 50-40-90 club.
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