After making a deep postseason run with the Dallas Mavericks a couple of months ago, Kyrie Irving is having an eventful offseason as well off the court. The Mavs star just unveiled his first HELA apparel collection in an ANTA fashion show in Shenyang, China.
Advertisement
NBA legend Isiah Thomas seemed to be impressed by Kai’s dazzling collection at the Art of Movement fashion show hosted at an ANTA store in Shenyang. He shared pictures of the fashion display on his Instagram stories after seeing them in a post by ‘nicekicks’.
Isiah Thomas on IG pic.twitter.com/6deQGorQ8J
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) September 23, 2024
The original post had the caption, “Are Kyrie and ANTA taking over fashion?” Thomas seemed thrilled at the thought of that and wanted to share the diverse collection to his fans on social media.
Irving has been on a mission to build his brand in his own unique way since he started his partnership with the Chinese brand ANTA last year. The multi-billion dollar brand has given Kyrie the freedom to display his creativity on his own product line.
View this post on Instagram
It is important to note that Irving’s deal with the brand last year also saw him become the Chief Creative Officer at the company. Therefore, the 32-year-old enjoys a lot more creative freedom with the brand than he did with Nike before the American brand ousted their partnership with him.
Jaylen Brown also congratulated Kyrie on the inauguration of his HELA apparel collection. The Boston Celtics star has also voiced his dislike in the past for Nike discipling athletes for their bold opinions. He was against Nike ending their partnership with Irving after the latter supposedly promoted an anti-semitic movie on his social media.
However, Irving has had a lot of success after teaming up with ANTA. He debuted the “Chief Hélà” colorway of his Anta KAI 1 shoes during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Timberwolves.
The Mavs star also released his signature ANTA KAI 1 Speed in the “Twin Flame” colorway this September with his father, Drederick Irving. The shoe is a tribute to Kyrie’s parents, Drederick and Elizabeth, who paved the way for his rise in the basketball world through their love, unity, and sacrifices.
Isiah Thomas was certainly glad to see the moves Irving is making after his split with Nike. NBA fans will also keep a keen eye on what Kai does next with ANTA.
