Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals had Kyrie Irving show out in a customized version of his Anta Kai 1. After his deal with Nike fell out last season, Irving became a free agent in the sneaker community and went on to sign with the Chinese shoe conglomerate, Anta. And Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves was when Irving decided to break out a special edition of his sneakers.
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Appearing made of moccasins and decorated with suede tassels, this sneaker edition is called the Anta Kai 1 ‘Chief Hélà.’ According to YahooSports, the shoes have a brown tonal colorway with tassels dangling off the collar.
The Anta Kai 1 debuted back in March in six different colorways, all with significance to Kyrie Irving’s Native American heritage and ancestry. The sneakers have been sold out from various stores around the country.
As per ESPN, Kyrie Irving did not know his mother well. She belonged to the Standing Rock Sioux, the tribe she was born into before she was adopted. Back in 2018, Kyrie Irving visited the Standing Rock Sioux for the very first time.
Irving did not come for charity or to have a photo op with the tribe. He had already donated $100,000 to the tribe and was there to honor his mother and to understand and be more in touch with his heritage.
As for the Anta Kai 1 ‘Chief Hélà’ edition, it has not been released to the public and there has been no news of Anta planning to release one so far. However, based on the number of sales of the other colorways of the Anta Kai 1, it would be beneficial for the Chinese sneaker company to eventually release the edition to the public.
This was not the first time Kyrie Irving wore moccasin-based sneakers during an NBA game. Back in the day, Irving fashioned a version of the Nike Infinity edition with brown tassels covering the shoes completely.
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Kyrie Irving’s Nike Infinity fashioned with brown tassels came when Nike had let go of the eight-time All-Star over his anti-semitic comments. However, since Kai still wanted to wear the shoe with his logo, he fashioned the Nike Infinity with those tassels which indicated his Native American ancestry.
Now, with Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks making it to the NBA Finals, let’s see if the 2016 NBA champion rocks out his special edition Anta Kai 1 ‘Chief Hélà’ edition once again on the biggest stage.
