Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving covered up the Nike logo on his game sneakers Wednesday night, taping over the company's signature swish after his long-standing relationship with them ended on Monday. Irving took to the court for the Nets' game against the Charlotte Hornets wearing his Nike Kyrie 3 PE, with the Nike logo taped over on both sides.
One side featured the message "I am free Thank you God ... I am." The other side read "LOGO HERE."
Kyrie’s shoes tonight. 👀
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 8, 2022
(via @NickDePaula) pic.twitter.com/xz9J4tDvmm
Irving was dropped by Nike on Monday weeks after his relationship with the company was suspended due to a controversial social media post in which he shared a film touting Black Israelite ideology and antisemetic tropes.
Irving was suspended for eight games before apologizing for the post in late November.
Although Nike's dismissal of Irving ended a relationship that had started in 2011, social media posts by Irving suggested that he was glad to no longer be associated with the company. In a tweet, Irving shared a gif with the caption, "There's nothing more priceless than being free."
— Hélà (@KyrieIrving) December 5, 2022
Irving would go on to score 33 points on Wednesday night with five rebounds and nine assists as the Nets won 122-116 over the Hornets. Irving was at his best alongside fellow superstar Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter, running a pick-n-roll combo that allowed Brooklyn to stave off a rally by Charlotte that saw them erase a double-digit deficit.
The Nets have now won five of their last six games and have a chance to improve to six out of seven on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks.
