Nike and Uncle Drew have had a fruitful relationship in the past – not with the Kyrie 8 model though.
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Just like Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving always made his shoes affordable with the best tech possible. Kyrie moves like no one else in the league is capable of – almost streetball-esque. The former Duke man spins heads just as easily he can pirouette himself through the tightest of spaces. To make this possible, his sneakers have to be custom designed.
The traction pattern of his sneaker line has always been the talking point – they are super grippy. He takes pride in the fact that his shoes allow for movement in ways that have not been thought possible. In some of the angles, he looks like he’s rolled his ankle. Up until the Kyrie 7 model, this fact stayed true – the design of the upper changed, but the idea behind the creation remained.
The Kyrie 8 however looks like it doesn’t belong on the shelves – it looks so bland and uninspiring. This could be attributed to the fact that Nike pushed the line out without getting Kyrie’s approval first. The man behind the sneaker was not even consulted on the final design – a low blow from the sports manufacturer.
Kyrie 8 has been a lackluster model for the company – maybe that’s why they’re pushing colorways down everyone’s throats
When Uncle Drew himself came out and said on social media that he did not approve of the design, sales for this model plummeted. Customers buy these commodities only because they believe the player has had some say in the design and they proudly wear it.
Kyrie makes sure what he wears is what the people get. His Duke colorway and the green glows have been fan favorites ever since their release. Over time, the shoe became more generalized, and the hype has been dying down.
The latest collaboration with Kyrie and Sue Bird looks decent – reminiscent of the New Balance ALD 550s. They also look like they are a homage to the Boston Celtics, while Kyrie used their logo as a doormat.
