Kyrie Irving Plans to Announce New Shoe Deal 'Very, Very Soon'
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving has long been one of the NBA's most popular players after captivating fans with his flashy handle and impressive shot making ability. He had established one of the league's most popular shoe lines as a Nike athlete, but his deal was terminated in October — making him a sneaker free agent.
Irving had still worn his signature Nike shoe, but did so while covering up the Nike logo, and played out the full season without having been signed to a shoe deal.
During his Instagram Live on Wednesday, Irving mentioned that he intends to announce his new shoe deal "very, very soon."
The first mention from Irving about a new potential shoe deal occurred on early April after the Dallas Mavericks' road loss to the Atlanta Hawks when he was asked by a reporter regarding any future plans to visit China. Irving mentioned that he intends to do a tour in Asia after he signs with a shoe brand.
"I'll set my plans once I sign with a potential shoe brand," Irving said. "That's usually how it goes in my scheduling from June to August — usually planning an Asia trip or China trip specifically.
"Once I sign with a shoe brand, I'll start wrapping around in kind of this international world tour to introduce myself as a new brand signee or signature athlete."
Irving is looking forward to announcing his shoe deal, which he envisions being something that will "blow this stuff out of the water."
”I won’t even call it a shoe deal,” Irving said. “Like, I’m about to blow this stuff out of the water, and I’m so excited about it.”
A new shoe deal seems to be on the horizon much quicker for Irving than a decision regarding his NBA future. He told his fans on Instagram Live that he has yet to decide and called on media personalities to stop linking him to teams amid almost constant speculation about him being an option for the Los Angeles Lakers.
"I'm a free agent this summer, but I am in no rush to make a decision," Irving said.
"When [these media personalities] speak on my name and they're talking about potential teams that I'm going to, can y'all please — I respectfully, I'm asking you — stop paying attention to that," Irving explained.
It remains to be seen which company Irving will end up signing with. Some companies have been floated as possible options, but there has yet to be official confirmation.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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