Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving has signed a five-year endorsement deal with ANTA, a Chinese sportswear brand, according to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Irving, who used to be with Nike, will be the Chief Creative Officer at ANTA. The eight-time All-Star will be able to recruit and sign players.
Nike suspended its relationship with Irving in November 2022 after the point guard posted a link on Twitter to an antisemitic movie. Even though Irving apologized for posting the antisemitic link, Nike parted ways with the NBA champion.
“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” Nike said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kyrie Irving & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Irving played for the Brooklyn Nets and Mavericks last season. He averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field, 37.9% from beyond the arc and 90.5% from the free-throw line in 60 games. Irving re-signed with Dallas on the first day of free agency this summer on a three-year, $126 million contract.
Irving has a 15% trade kicker in his new contract with the Mavericks, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. A trade kicker is the percentage of a player’s salary that is awarded as a bonus in the event of a trade.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kyrie Irving & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Dallas won only 38 games in 2022-23. The team was just 5-11 in games Irving and Luka Doncic played together. That was the worst winning percentage (.313) for a pair of teammates who were both All-Stars since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976-77, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Irving and Luka Doncic will be under central pressure to make the playoffs next season in the rugged Western Conference. The Mavericks made the Western Conference Finals in 2022 but missed the postseason last season.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
