Many players across the NBA have signed lucrative deals with shoe companies to be a representative face of the company, but Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving took a different approach with the contract he signed with the shoe brand ANTA.
Irving signed with ANTA in July 2023 following multiple years with other brands and serves as the chief creative officer for the company, describing ANTA as a “multi-generational platform” that is meant to represent every person, according to Andscape.
Anta hosted Irving in Xiamen, China, from Sept. 18-20 to introduce the athlete to the behind-the-scenes aspect of the industry, helping him to understand that “Everything as American consumers is just so fast and microwavable.”
“But when you go behind the scenes to see what’s going on, you get to appreciate how it goes from just an idea into a product and then how it gets sold and marketed and how it looks when I’m wearing [it] on the court. It’s more of a passion project because of how many other [Anta] teammates I have. It’s just kind of like an NBA organization, but it’s a lot more teammates,” explained Irving, per Andscape.
“I got to manage this office over here. I got to manage this office over there. And me being CCO, it was a new experience. I’m not a CEO. I’m a CCO. Everybody has their responsibilities, but me trying to evolve the vision, that’s my job.”
Irving explained how he was skeptical about joining ANTA when he first started talking with the company, noting that his experiences with previous companies may have deterred him from fully committing to another shoe brand.
He said that he “just didn’t know much about Anta” when discussions first began, but that he quickly fell in love with the company and the vision for his role in the creative process.
“So, it was just more or less new. ‘OK, who is with Anta? What is this about?’ It wasn’t about what they were offering. It was all about am I free to create what I want and also be part of the engine that’s going to build this big machine,” Irving added, per Andscape.
One of the most meaningful actions that Irving took when he signed with ANTA was the decision to sign his father to a deal, marking the first time an athlete’s parent has been signed to a contract, per Yahoo Sports.
Irving said that he wanted this signing to be a symbol to everyone chasing their dreams in athletics, serving as a reminder that “you’re never too old to keep playing basketball or love getting out and staying active or being around the game of basketball or being around the youth.”
“And then, for me to continue the legacy of having a shoe brand growing up with kids for the last 14 years, I have a great pillar in the culture right now that I want to take care of,” he said to Andscape.
“I describe my shoe brand as my mall. Everybody can come to my mall. It’s a collaborative mall and I want people to have a great experience, not just buying my product, but being a part of something.”