In Pictures: Kyrie Irving and ANTA drop “Playoffs Energy” colorway ahead of star’s first NBA Finals trip with Mavs
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has dropped another colorway of his signature shoe, the ANTA KAI 1. With the NBA Playoffs set to start Thursday, Irving has now continued his hot streak of new colorways for the ANTA KAI 1 with the Playoffs Energy colorway. The latest release comes on the heels of the NBA star previously dropping the Playoffs Blue colorway for the start of the postseason.
The shoes released Wednesday exclusively on ANTA.com for $125. The release period started May 31, when fans were able to sign up for the launch email, and ran through 7 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday.
Once the signup period ended those selected to secure a chance to buy the shoes received an email at 11 a.m. CT. As the FAQ section of ANTA's website indicates, once the sign-up period closes those who didn't sign up beforehand will have to wait for another drop in the future.
In addition, in order to curb the resale market that has impacted the sneaker industry in the past, only one pair of shoes can be purchased by each user. This way, fans can't buy two pairs of Kyrie Irving's signature shoes with the intention of selling one.
Check out some images of the shoes below!
Looking at the details of Kyrie Irving's new ANTA KAI 1 Playoffs Energy colorway
Kyrie Irving's latest ANTA KAI 1 Playoffs Energy colorway has a number of unique design features created specifically for this iteration of the shoe. For example, the choice to use yellow upper and green accents was made to symbolize the energy needed to win a championship.
In addition, the shoe also features several spots with the number 11, which symbolizes the idea of speed in the 2016 NBA Champion's philosophy. This is seen both at the base of the laces, as well as on the heel, where Irving has symbols representing strength, agility, focus, and speed.
Each key to success has its own symbol, with all four displayed vertically along the heel tag. These symbols are also seen along the outer edge of the toe box, and are seen on the new ANTA Kai Tribe lifestyle shoe revealed late last month as well.
While the ANTA KAI 1 Playoffs Energy colorway has already hit the United States, the lifestyle shoe created by Kyrie Irving and ANTA has been exclusive to China so far.
Despite that, the expectation seems to be that the pair will release the shoes in the US later this summer, or in the fall ahead of the start of the 2024-25 NBA season. In the meantime, fans will have a chance to see Irving debut his new Playoffs Energy colorway later this week when the NBA Finals tip-off on ABC.