Nike Officially Dumps Kyrie Irving

One month after suspending him for posting and promoting an antisemitic hate film to his millions of followers, Nike has officially dropped Kyrie Irving from its roster of athletes. 

Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete, Nike spokesperson says. The sides have parted ways one month after Nike suspended its relationship with the Nets star. Irving has one of most popular signatures shoes in the NBA and is now a sneaker free agent.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 5, 2022

Nike co-founder Phil Knight had recently said, "Kyrie stepped over the line. It's kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can't abide by, and that's why we ended the relationship. And, I was fine with that.

"We look at it very hard... We look at not only how good the athlete is, but how his or her character are."

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech, and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the company added.

At the time of the original suspension, the company had also canceled its launch of Irving's next signature shoe.

Irving served an 8-game suspension from the Brooklyn Nets, and was allowed to return after he fulfilled a number of prerequisites, including finally apologizing for posting the hateful material after repeated refusals to do so, sensitivity training, meeting with Jewish leaders, and more. 

 Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports