Adidas’s decision to cut ties with rapper Kanye West led to the company losing around $246 million. In October 2022, the global giants announced that they were cutting ties with the rapper following a series of antisemitic comments. Adidas was then known to have been after the Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving, who ended up signing a shoe deal recently with Chinese company Anta. Irving not only chose to not snub Kanye West by signing for Adidas, he also recently posted a picture of Kanye West alongside Yasiin Bey and NBA legend Kobe Bryant. It must be noted that both Irving and the rapper were out of deals when Adidas tried to sign Irving.
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Kyrie Irving posts interesting Kanye West picture with Kobe Bryant
Kanye West underwent a series of sponsor losses after he was accused of making anti-semitic comments. Irving himself has been involved in multiple controversies due to his unique takes on various issues.
West had even praised Irving back in October 2022 when he shared a photo of him with the caption, “There are some real ones still here.” Regardless, Adidas ended up cutting ties with West, leading to losses of around $246 million, according to Fortune.
The company was also known to be chasing Kyrie Irving, along with multiple other giants such as Puma, according to HoopsHype. Regardless, Irving eventually snubbed Adidas, and his latest post in support of West means that he might have never had any intention of signing with the company. Take a look at the tweet by @NBACelebsUpdate below to see Irving’s post.
Kyrie Irving shared a rare picture of Kobe Bryant, Kanye West, and Yasiin Bey on his story pic.twitter.com/wqhtNPN0Ns
— What are NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) June 20, 2023
Regardless, the photo that Irving shared included Kanye West, along with rapper Yasiin Bey. The group appeared to have linked up in a music studio and appeared to have a great time.
Kyrie Irving signs shoe deal with Chinese company Anta
Kyrie Irving eventually ended up signing a sneaker deal with Anta. The Chinese company was formed in 1991 and Irving is the 7th NBA athlete that they have been able to sign.
Irving has not yet officially signed with the company, however, he did tease the possibility of it recently. The player has been without a sneaker deal ever since he broke up with Nike back in 2022.
The detailed financials of the deal have not yet been revealed. However, more information can be expected as time goes on, including updates on his own signature shoes with the company.
