Nike makes bold decision in relationship with Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving continues to deal with the fallout of sharing a controversial film with antisemitic messages on social media. One day after the Brooklyn Nets announced that Irving had been suspended, Nike announced that it was suspending its relationship with the controversial star.

Nike released a statement on Friday night, announcing the suspension of its relationship with Irving. It was shared by Sara Eisen of CNBC.

“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any sort of antisemitism. To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8. We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”

This decision from Nike drew two common reactions. One was support. But as was the case with his suspension from the Nets, the timing was questioned.

So, Nike issued a statement condemning Kyrie on Monday (without naming him, of course) but waited until after he "apologized" to suspend their relationship with him? https://t.co/rfoLyX1exr

— Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) November 5, 2022

The timing is unusual. Nike had previously released a statement that while likely referring to Irving, didn’t mention him by name. Now, a day after Irving was suspended by his team and offered an apology (albeit far too late), Nike decided to suspend him.

So, the timing is certainly questionable. Regardless of that, though, it is done. And Irving is dealing with not only terrible public relations but also stands to lose a lot of money in the fallout of this.

[Sara Eisen on Twitter]