It's been a turbulent few weeks for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who delivered his best game since returning from suspension, torching the Charlotte Hornets for 33 points in their 122-116 win at Barclays Center.
SIGN UP TO WATCH EVERY GAME ON NBA LEAGUE PASS: U.S. and U.K.
Irving, who missed eight games after sharing a link to a documentary on Twitter featuring anti-semitic messaging, was this week also dropped by Nike, bringing an end to his relationship with the brand that released seven signature sneakers under his name during their partnership.
"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the company said in a statement. "We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone."
Despite no longer being with the brand, on Wednesday night Irving took to the court wearing a pair of his Kyrie 3 sneakers, covering up the Nike swoosh with black tape and his own hand-written message.
Kyrie Irving covered up the Swoosh on his Nike Kyrie 3 with some messages following his official split with the company.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2022
Irving is a sneaker free agent pic.twitter.com/xyKS4qN1qd
Emblazoned on his right shoe was the message "I am free" and "Thank you God... I am" with his left shoe reading "Logo Here."
The 30-year-old shared a similar message on Twitter following the announcement from Nike.
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) December 5, 2022
MORE: Kevin Durant claps back at Charles Barkley for calling him 'insecure'
He followed that up with a message to his fans, writing on Twitter: “Anyone who has even spent their hard earned money on anything I have ever released, I consider you FAMILY and we are forever connected. It’s time to show how powerful we are as a community.”
It's unclear what's next for the sneaker free agent, however, Nike has moved quickly to fill the vacancy, with The Athletic's Shams Charania reporting that Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is in line to receive a new signature sneaker with Nike in the near future.
