Dallas star Kyrie Irving is releasing a new colorway for the ANTA 1 and it could be the coolest colorway with the brand yet.
The ANTA KAI 1 debuted in March 2024 as Irving’s introduction to his new sponsor shoe, after Nike dropped the athlete when he shared a link to antisemitic film.
Like the KAI 1’s before it, the ANTA 1 ‘Kaileidoscope’ Colorway takes what made Irving’s Nike shoes so popular, while remaining true to the core principles of Irving’s game: strength, agility, focus, and speed.
“The ‘KAILEIDOSCOPE’ colorway is a testament to Kyrie’s game – constantly evolving, endlessly captivating, and always leaving opponents guessing,” Shaneika Warden, ANTA’s color design director, said.
Designers Jared Subawon and Astin Davis added, “We wanted to capture that energy and bring it to life through this colorway, allowing fans to experience a piece of Kyrie’s brilliance every time they lace up.”
The sneakers have a black and silver base, similar to a typical kaleidoscope toy, and have teal and crimson across the front.
It also features gradient hues on the tongue and inner lining, echoing the world inside a kaleidoscope.
Symbolic inscriptions in red are all over the sneakers, in line with all of Kyrie and ANTA’s previous colorways.
Another reason Irving’s name is making headlines this week is after former NBA champion Nick Young made an interesting claim.
“[Kyrie Irving] is the [Kobe Bryant] to [Steph Curry’s] [Michael Jordan]. People are scared to say he’s better,” Young claimed on X.
Young was Curry’s teammate and won a championship for the Warriors in 2018.
He was also a teammate with Kobe Bryant on the Lakers from 2013-2017 and seems to think he was better than MJ.
So it’s difficult to know how much weight his opinion carries. But an interesting take all the same.
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