Kyrie Irving New Shoes: Mavericks star debuts signature ANTA sneaker in Brooklyn return (Feb. 6)
Kyrie Irving recently unveiled his new signature shoes called the 'KAI 1s' against the Brooklyn Nets. Sporting the ANTA brand, wherein other NBA players like Klay Thompson and Gordon Hayward are signed, Irving's new kicks feature a purple-colored shoe with splashes of pink, green and a cream sole. "Kai" calls this colorway "Artist On Court", which could be a nod to the art of the crossover.
It's been a while since fans last saw Kyrie Irving make his presence felt in the sneaker market. Ever since Nike removed him from the company's existence due to controversial issues, Irving found a new home with ANTA but didn't immediately release a new signature shoe.
Irving signed with the shoe company in June 2023 under a five-year deal. Since then, he's been wearing Anta products in NBA games. It took eight months before he finally came up with the 'KAI 1s'.
Where to buy Kyrie Irving's new shoes? Cost and more explained
As of the time of this writing, ANTA and Kyrie Irving are yet to announce when the 'KAI 1s' will officially launch in the sneaker market. A price tag is also yet to be revealed. At this point, fans can only make assumptions as to how much the sneakers will cost and when they could potentially be released. With that said readers should take this with a grain of salt.
Since signing with ANTA, Irving has been wearing the 'Shock Wave 5s'. To make it feel like it's his own pair of shoes, the sneaker company gave Irving the freedom to redesign the pair however he wanted in multiple colorways. The Dallas Mavericks star's version of the 'Shock Wave 5s' sold for around $140 to $150 in the sneaker market. It's almost priced the same as his former signature shoes with Nike.
However, considering how the 'Shock Wave 5s' aren't Irving's signature pair, there's a possibility that the 'KAI 1s' could sell for as much as $200 or even higher. Looking at Klay Thompson and Gordon Hayward's signature shoes with ANTA, they more or less cost within that budget range. Thompson's went for as much as $180 during launch while Hayward's was around $200.
With that in mind, assuming the 'KAI 1s' budget range would be within $180 to $200 doesn't seem too far-fetched. But given how Kyrie Irving is a bigger star compared to Klay Thompson and Gordon Hayward, there's a slight chance his shoes could cost more.
As for when the ANTA 'KAI 1s' will launch in the market, fans can only assume it'll be either during the All-Star break, after the regular season ends or when the postseason concludes.