Kyrie Irving, despite not aiding the Dallas Mavericks in any sort of way is still adamant about his importance to basketball. While we don’t dispute his game or the fact that he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, we do think he likes to act above himself sometimes.
Advertisement
This time, he has been out of a contract with Nike and he is seeking another company to take him on. And what’s more, he wants to go on a world tour, that would include China. A nation that hasn’t seen a big basketball star visit them for a tour in the last 3 years.
Of course, Irving would want to break barriers. Basketball is a global sport and while it may not be as popular as soccer, it is still a well-loved sport in the world. However, an ambassador like Irving doesn’t look good.
Kyrie Irving is seeking a new sponsor
So, after Nike released him thanks to his anti-Semitic comments, Kyrie Irving is without a sponsor. There is not a single brand ready to take him on just yet.
He may be marketable and his Nike shoes might have been by far the most popular among active athletes, but all it took was one tweet to undo everything.
Now, he seeks a new sponsor despite not helping his team reach a playoff spot. The Mavericks are now given an 8% chance to make it to the playoffs. No thanks to Irving. And yet, he had this to say.
Kyrie on if he plans to visit China soon:
“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.”
(via @GrantAfseth) pic.twitter.com/17Pz8P1hAR
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 4, 2023
Irving and Doncic have not worked out
A sad state of affairs in Dallas, the combination of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving has not worked out. At all. While both may be scoring, their lack of defense makes it easy for teams to blitz past them and get easy buckets.
They have lost their last 6 out of 7 games and have slipped out of the play-in spot. Signature shoe or not, it looks as though Irving will not be a part of the Mavericks’ plans anytime soon.