Kyrie Irving’s Nike Deal Gets Sobering Update From Phil Knight

Phil Knight had a lot to say about the Kyrie situation.

Kyrie Irving has been in the news quite a bit over the last few weeks. Of course, this is all because of his social media post in which he shared a peculiar documentary. This documentary had some anti-Semitic tropes throughout, and Irving was held to account for it. He has since apologized, but the consequences have been brutal.

Kyrie’s Nike Deal Suspended

For instance, Kyrie’s signature sneaker deal with Nike was suspended. Nike left it open-ended as to whether or not they would ever go back to the Nets superstar. It felt like this was simply a temporary punishment that was meant to make Kyrie reflect.

As it turns out, this suspension might actually be a full-on termination. While speaking to CNBC, Nike co-founder Phil Knight dropped a bombshell. Essentially, Nike is upset with what Kyrie said, and that his time with the brand is pretty well over. “I would doubt that we go back,” Knight explained. “But I don’t know for sure.”

Knight went on to explain that what Kyrie said was not right and that Nike can’t support stuff like that. While the brand might work with Kyrie again in the future, it could take years before he does so. Either way, it’s clear that Knight felt like this was a brand risk.

Knight Speaks Out

“Kyrie stepped over the line,” Knight said. “It’s kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can’t abide by and that’s why we ended the relationship. And I was fine with that.

“We look at who we sign and how much we pay and we look not only at how good the athlete is but what his or her character are. It’s not an exact science, but it’s a process that we go through with a lot of intensity and with a lot of people sticking their hand in it.”

This is a developing story, so stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest news and updates.