Nike suspends relationship with Kyrie Irving amid antisemitism scandal

Nike has suspended its relationship with Kyrie Irving and cancelled its plans to release his next signature shoe, the latest chapter in the ongoing fallout since the Brooklyn Nets guard tweeted a link to a film containing antisemitic material.

The shoe giant announced Friday night that it will halt its relationship with Irving, one day after he was suspended by the Nets for what the team called a repeated failure to "unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs."

Those actions followed widespread criticism from, among many others, the Anti-Defamation League and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the Beaverton, Ore.-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."

"We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone."

Irving signed with Nike in 2011, shortly after becoming the No. 1 pick in that year's NBA draft. Irving's first signature shoe was released three years later, and the popularity of the Kyrie line led to him making a reported $11 million US annually just from the Nike endorsement.

The Kyrie 8 was expected to be released in the next week. Previous models of his shoes were still for sale on the Nike website Friday night.

Irving posted a tweet — which has since been deleted — last week with a link to the documentary Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, which includes Holocaust denial and conspiracy theories about Jews. In a contentious postgame interview session last Saturday, Irving defended his right to post what he wants.

The fallout only continued from there. The