On May 13, it was reported that Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving was losing his endorsement with Nike once his contract expired.

“Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has long owned one of Nike’s most popular and profitable basketball shoes, but uncertainties surrounding his NBA future have left the company unlikely to expand it. to a similar signing deal beyond the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN, ” says Adrien Wojnarowski.

It would be a blow to Irving as his shoe is one of the most popular shoes sold by Nike, but it would also have an impact on the footwear giant. Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne say it’s down to Irving’s uncertain future in the NBA.

Although he still has his contract for now, that didn’t stop LaVar Ball, father of Lonzo and LaMelo, from stepping in and making a massive offer to Irving.

When news spread that Nike would be willing to drop Irving, Ball offered him a stake in his company Big Baller Brand.

Ball makes his offer

While the BBB hasn’t exactly taken the world by storm, that hasn’t stopped the elder Ball from trying to make it happen.

He thinks a partnership with Irving could help skyrocket the brand’s popularity, and he’s even offering the Nets star a stake in ownership.

“Come here to Big Baller Brand, you can have all the control you want,” he said. “I’m not going to give you an endorsement deal, I’m going to give you an ownership deal. Let’s go. Think about it. Don’t do everything for the money but be in the right place. Ownership is everything.

Irving hasn’t publicly responded to that offer, and it’s not even clear if he saw it in the first place. Ball’s own children don’t even wear the shoes as LaMelo signed a deal with Puma while Lonzo generally opted for Kobes with the Nike brand.

Right now, there’s little reason to suspect Irving is considering this deal even though he has some ownership of the company. Irving has a lot more issues to deal with before even thinking about the BBB deal anyway.

Uncertain future

GettyKevin Durant and Kyrie Irving

On May 25, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reported that Brooklyn was unwilling to offer Irving a long-term extension.

That’s big news considering how the team is built around him and Kevin Durant. However, he did not play for much of the previous season as the Nets were fired in the first round by the Boston Celtics.

Irving and Durant came to Brooklyn together, and they recruited James Harden to come too before he was eventually traded to the Sixers. Things are preparing for this offseason to be interesting and there is even a chance that the team will be very different next year.

Durant is still under contract for the next few seasons, but he seems to be one of the only locks to return. Irving will definitely be someone to watch.

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