ENTERTAINMENT
Kyrie Irving’s Partnership with Nike Officially Terminated amid Antisemitism Controversy
Kyrie Irving is no longer partnered with Nike, PEOPLE can confirm.
One month after the athletic apparel brand announced that they would distance themselves from the Brooklyn Nets player, 30, and cancel the release of the Kyrie 8, Nike says in a statement to PEOPLE: “Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete.”
Nike reevaluated their working relationship with Irving following his post on Twitter, where he shared a link to the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America in October that contains antisemitic messaging.
Following the announcement on Monday, Irving expressed on Twitter that he and anyone who has bought one of his products is “forever connected” and called those individuals “family.”
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.????????♾
— Chief Hélà ???????? (@KyrieIrving) December 5, 2022
He extended his appreciation in a follow-up post, writing in part, “To my Tribe: ‘I am because you are.’ ”
While PEOPLE did not receive an immediate response from Irving’s representation, his agent and stepmother Shetellia Riley said in a statement to CNN, “Both parties have agreed to mutually depart ways. We wish Nike the best in their future endeavors.”
The end of Irving’s relationship with Nike comes after his team took a firm stand against antisemitism and suspended him for at least five games without pay in November.
Following his suspension from the Nets, he released a statement on social media in which he apologized to the Jewish community.
The statement read, in part: “To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.
“I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti-semticism [sic] by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate.”
In October, the NBA issued a statement following Irving’s initial tweet, writing in part that “hate speech of any kind is unacceptable and runs counter to the NBA’s values of equality, inclusion and respect.”
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