The shoe giant announced Friday night that it will end its relationship with the recently suspended Brooklyn Nets player, who has come under fire after posting a link to an anti-Semitic movie on social media. “At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of anti-Semitism,” the Beaverton, Ore.-based company said. “To that end, we have made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer release the Kyrie 8.” Irving has had a signature line with Nike since 2014. “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone,” Nike said. Irving signed with Nike in 2011, shortly after becoming the No. 1 pick in that year’s NBA draft. Irving’s first signature shoe was released three years later, and the popularity of the Kyrie line led to him making $11 million a year just from the Nike endorsement. Irving’s sneakers are seen during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans in New York on October 19. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) The Kyrie 8 was expected to release next week. Previous models of his shoes were still for sale on Nike’s website Friday night. Irving was fired by the Nets on Thursday for what the team called a repeated failure “to state unequivocally that he does not hold anti-Semitic beliefs.” The suspension will last at least five games. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he wanted an apology from Irving for his decision to post a link to the documentary Jews on Negroes: Awakening Black America – a film that contains anti-Semitic material. Irving defended his right to publish what he wants and declined to give a direct answer when asked Thursday if he holds anti-Semitic beliefs. Later, hours after the Nets issued their suspension, Irving posted an apology on Instagram for not explaining the specific beliefs he agreed with and disagreed with when he posted the documentary. NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s statement on Kyrie Irving: “…I am disappointed that he has not apologized unreservedly…I will meet with Kyrie in person next week to discuss this situation.” pic.twitter.com/9u1Y2j2jBw —@ShamsCharania “To all the Jewish families and communities who were hurt and affected by my position, I am deeply sorry for causing you pain and I apologize,” Irving wrote. “At first I reacted with emotion at being unfairly labeled as anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish brothers and sisters who were hurt by the hateful comments made in the Documentary.” Irving becomes the second high-profile celebrity in less than two weeks to lose a major shoe deal over anti-Semitism. Adidas was forced to part ways with Ye – the rapper formerly known as Kanye West – late last month, a move the German company said would result in losses of around US$250 million this year after production halted of the Yeezy product line as well as stopping payments to Ye and his companies. For weeks, Ye made anti-Semitic comments in interviews and on social media, including a tweet that he would soon say “Death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” an apparent reference to the US’s five-level defense readiness scale known as DEFCON.
