Nike suspends relationship with Kyrie Irving, cancels final signature shoe
After sharing content on social media of a movie with antisemitic tropes and refusing to denounce its views this week, Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving is now dealing with the fallout.
On Friday, Nike announced it suspended ties with Irving, effective immediately, and will not release the Kyrie 8, the seven-time All-Star's final signature shoe with the company.
Via The Athletic's Shams Charania, Nike's statement reads, "At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism ...We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone."
Irving recently shared links to a movie and a book containing hateful antisemitic material. On Thursday, after he "refused to unequivocally" denounce those hateful beliefs, the Nets suspended Irving without pay for at least five games.
Irving finally posted an apology on Instagram late Thursday night, which Nets GM Sean Marks described as "not enough."
"There's going to be some remedial steps and measures that will be in place for him to obviously seek some counseling, dealing with some anti-hate and some Jewish leaders within our community," Marks said. "He's going to have to sit down with them, he's going to have to sit down with the organization after this. We will evaluate and see if this is the right opportunity to bring him back."
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