Once again, a star lost a major shoe deal over antisemitism in less than two weeks.
On November 4th, Friday, Nike announced that they will suspend its relationship with Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, who posted a tweet last week supporting the documentary “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which was criticized as anti-Semitic on Twitter.
The shoe giant said: “At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism,” the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said. “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.”
Nike also said: “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone.”
Irving has been under contract with Nike since 2014, and it is claimed that he makes $11 million each year from the company. Nike was ready for Kyrie 8, which was expected to be released in a few weeks, but due to this scandal, the company canceled its launch.
Before Nike decided to end its partnership with the NBA star, The Brooklyn Nets pulled themselves back on Thursday after announcing that Irving is suspended for at least five games after refusing to express regret for endorsing the movie.
Until he “satisfies a series of objective remedial steps that address the detrimental impact of his conduct,” according to the Nets, Kyrie will not be permitted to play for the team once more.
Mitzi Francis is a content editor at The Landscape Insight. With a background in journalism and a passion for storytelling, Mitzi brings a unique perspective to his role at the publication. He is committed to delivering high-quality, informative content to his readers.
