Hoops icon Kyrie Irving has made big changes recently. The superstar who hit the game winner in the 2016 NBA Finals for the Cavaliers left Cleveland for the Boston Celtics in order to be first fiddle. (He was fated to forever-second-fiddle-status in Cleveland because of a guy named LeBron James.) Kyrie’s move has worked out well so far, as the Celtics are off to an red hot start and lead the Eastern Conference. Now Kyrie is innovating again, this time with a less expensive version of his signature Nike basketball sneakers. Nike announced the move in October on a call with investors. Now it looks like it’s coming sooner rather than later. (The Kyrie 1 signature was announced in 2014.)
[image: Lots of Kyrie’s — versatile options at Amazon]
With the move to a new Kyrie budget line (the shoes will be priced around $80) the Kyrie line that Nike called “biggest signature shoe in the industry” gets a big expansion. A regulation pair of Kyrie’s signature kicks — the Kyrie 3 — retails at $120 or more, so the new shoe is a 50% discount. Other Nike signature basketball stars with a less expensive version of their shoe lines complementing their higher-end, higher-priced shoes are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. Insiders expect the new Kyrie shoes to hit stores sometime in 2018.