NBA megastar Kyrie Irving (Dallas Mavericks) is in China revealing his new logo with his partner, Chinese apparel company ANTA Sports. See photos below.
ANTA recently unveiled Kyrie Irving's new logo ⚡️
— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) September 21, 2023
First impression? pic.twitter.com/tCmf6Ve4tS
ANTA (Anta Sports Products Limited) is a Chinese sports equipment multinational corporation headquartered in Jinjiang. It touts itself as “the third-largest manufacturer of sporting goods overall, behind Nike and Adidas.” In 2021, ANTA posted revenue of US $7.7 billion.
(Nike posted $44 billion in revenue in 2021 and revenue of $46 million in 2022, the year it canceled its endorsement deal with Irving.)
More photos of Kyrie on his ANTA tour in China 👀🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/um4P7ctmSq
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) September 21, 2023
Irving is in China promoting his new brand, after being appointed ANTA’s “Basketball Chief Creative Officer.” He is not only the company’s signature hoops athlete, but the partnership gives Irving a broad role including recruiting other athletes to join the company the brand.
“I won’t even call it a shoe deal,” Irving said on Instagram when he announced the reportedly 5-year deal earlier this year.
[Note: Irving isn’t the only NBA star working with ANTA. In 2020, fellow NBA star Klay Thompson signed with Anta for a 10-year, $80 million endorsement contract. And in 2021, current Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso signed a sneaker contract with ANTA.]
