In Photos: First look at 2 of Kyrie Irving's upcoming ANTA sneakers feat. premium Hélà lifestyle shoe
Kyrie Irving's upcoming ANTA sneakers did the rounds on social media earlier. Nick DePaula showcased the two colorways of the lifestyle shoe, both slated to release this fall. One features a suede and leather design, and the other is a multi-lace variant in three colors. At the time of writing, the colorways received positive responses on X/Twitter.
Here's a look at both of Irving's sneakers:
And the suede colorway:
For now, there isn't a lot of information available about the price or the release date. The unique heel and lace style have been key talking points. Only time will tell if the lifestyle shoes will be a hit with audiences once they cop them this fall.
Kyrie Irving honored his parents with KAI 1 Speed Shoes in NBA Finals
The Dallas Mavericks star chose to honor his parents with the pair of custom kicks he wore to the 2024 NBA Finals, according to DePaula. Kyrie Irving debuted a custom KAI 1 Speed "Twin Flame" shoe for Game 1 against the Boston Celtics.
The shoe honored his father Drederick, the first athlete signed to the ANTA KAI brand. DePaula added that the shoe's theme was created in honor of Irving's late mother, Elizabeth. Drederick who sat down with the shoe's designers, played ball for Boston from 1984-88. He was inducted into the BU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. His wife also played basketball and volleyball for BU as well.
For Game 3, Irving debuted the Anta KAI 1 ‘Chief Hélà' shoe, that pays a tribute to his native American heritage. The shoe names also coincides with the name of his social media profile, Chief Hela which, according to WFAA news translates to 'Little Mountain. Kyrie Irving was given the name by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in 2018.
On the season front, Irving will be looking to make a deeper run again with Dallas and hope to win his second championship after going down 4-1 to the Celtics this past season. The Mavericks have enough firepower in Luka Doncic and newly-minted veteran G/F Klay Thompson who they acquired in free agency.
They have a young unit in PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II making their impact on both ends of the floor. The Mavs will be fielding their best unit in a long time, and only time will tell if it translates to their next title after 2011.