Kyrie Irving called the upcoming Kyrie 8 ‘trash” in an Instagram post by fan account K11kicks, which showed leaked images of the yet-to-be-released sneaker. The Instagram post shows the fully constructed sneaker and deconstructed panels from the upper.
He claimed that he had played no part in the designing and promotion of the new silhouette. He also says that Nike started manufacturing the Kyrie 8 without his approval.
From these images, it looks like the Kyrie 8 closely resembles his previous signature sneakers.
The Kyrie line drops new kicks between September and December each year, always just in time for Christmas. This means the Kyrie 8 has likely gone into production.
Irving’s gripes sound similar to Vanessa Bryant’s with regard to Nike’s management of the Kobe line. Earlier this year, a pair of the “Mamba Forever” Kobe 6 was accidentally shipped to a customer – a sneaker that both Vanessa and the Kobe estate did not approve for manufacturing and release.
More on the Kobe estate’s split from Nike: Is this the end of the Nike Kobe line?
Disagreements over designs are not uncommon in the development of signature sneaker lines. Michael Jordan famously ridiculed the Air Jordan 2 and Lebron James once demanded a complete redesign of the Lebron 6. But this is the first time such a conflict has been aired on social media.
Neither Irving nor Nike has released a clarification on the accusations Irving made in the Instagram comment at the time of publishing this article. Stay tuned for more updates.