The one-time LeBron James teammate is a sneaker free agent.
Late Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame shooting guard Kobe Bryant was always renowned for his line of signature Nike sneakers. Now, Brooklyn Nets All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, a new shoe free agent, may be able to surpass Bryant’s footwear legacy.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports recently chatted with Sia Collective apparel magnate Devlin Carter about the possibility that Irving could potentially leapfrog the Lakers great in one big way: he could make his own shoe brand, beyond just having a signature sneaker the way he did with Nike, before the Oregon sportswear giant and the seven-time All-Star parted company late last year due to Irving’s recent behavior.
Carter essentially pitched himself to Irving, via the conversation with Robinson.
“Okay one, I’m not trying to sign Kyrie Irving, I’m trying to work with Kyrie Irving,” Carter said. “Kyrie Irving is a global brand, because of Nike’s marketing… We are a United States brand, we’re an American brand. And we do very great sales, but we’re not a global brand, right? My whole thing with Kyrie is you have the power now to do what Kobe wanted to start. Kobe wanted to do Mamba Sports. I think Kyrie should do Kyrie Sports.”
“My opinion is hey, if you really want to do that… you’re gonna need a creative director,” Carter continued. “I can give you all of those things, I can design, I can give you the factories.”
Irving looks en route to to make his eighth All-Star game, having acquitted himself swimmingly on and off the floor since returning from his eight-game Nets suspension.
Check out Carter and Robinson’s full interview here.
