Kyrie Irving wore “I AM FREE, thank you god” on his shoes after fallout with Nike and NBA fans had hot takes
Earlier this season, Kyrie Irving made waves with his off-the-court actions. It all began when he posted a link to a movie on his Twitter account. It was later brought to light that the film had antisemitic undertones.
As the situation unfolded, the Brooklyn Nets and NBA distanced themselves from the situation. Irving was suspended and given a list of tasks to complete before he could return to the team.
The Nets were not the only group to respond to Irving's actions. Nike initially postponed their sponsorship of the All-Star guard before recently severing ties completely. Prior to this, they were getting ready to launch the eighth signature of his clothing line.
Now that he is a sneaker free agent, Kyrie Irving is free to wear whatever he wants on the court. He went with a blacked-out pair of his own Nike shoes and wrote "Logo Here" over the iconic Nike swoosh. On the other side of the shoe, he put, "I AM FREE. Thank You God... I AM."
Kyrie’s shoes tonight. 👀
(via @NickDePaula) https://t.co/xz9J4tDvmm
Fans react to Kyrie Irving wearing hand-made shoes in a game
Given that he is a commonly talked about player, fans had a lot to say about Kyrie Irving customizing these shoes. Most simply said they thought what he was doing was stupid, while one person went a little further. With one sponsor already dropping him, some think Irving will end up going broke after retirement.
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula Hes such a loser lmao
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula Dude is gonna be homeless within 5-7 years of leaving the NBA
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula Oh he's free now...Yeah, I bet he'd keep that shoe deal if he had the chance. He's so annoying.
One reason why fans are being hard on Kyrie Irving is because of the nature of the shoe. While he made his point by writing on them, they are still a pair of Nikes. Some feel the shoe company is still winning because he continues to wear its product.
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula What’s the point of wearing Nike shoes and taking off the logo and saying ur free. Bro ur still wearing Nike shoes
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula It’s still a Nike shoe regardless if it had a logo in it or not.
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula He’s wearin them shoes for free. 😂😂
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula Is this real? You can still see the Nike logo anyway soooooo .......
Following this stunt, some began comparing Irving to another controversial athlete, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown. After news broke of him getting out of his contract, he posted a video on social media of him jumping into a pool.
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula Hmmmm https://t.co/9xcFI2JJse
@TheHoopCentral @NickDePaula He on that Antonio Brown stuff
Brown and Irving do share some similarities as they are both known for saying and doing controversial things. In his final NFL game, Brown ripped off his jersey midgame and proceeded to get fans riled up before heading to the locker room.
Even after everything that's happened, Irving appears to have no intentions of being quiet. Seeing that sponsors are already giving up on him, it will be interesting to see how this affects his NBA career when his contract ends this offseason.