Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving Signs Massive Deal With Chinese Sportswear Giant ANTA

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Kyrie Irving, who recently re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks on a 3-year/$120 million contract, has officially left Nike. The veteran guard, who has been a Nike athlete since 2014, will now take his signature sneaker line to ANTA, a major sportswear company based in China. The amount that the deal will pay Irving was not disclosed. However, it is believed that the initial deal between Irving and ANTA has a duration of five years. Furthermore, Irving is to be named Chief Creative Officer of the company. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, “The lucrative new shoe deal for Irving will also give him the ability to recruit/sign players and other collaborators, and bring a level of manufacturing to the United States to kickstart ANTA’s process to fully distribute in [the] US.”

ANTA already has several deals in place with American athletes. Kevin Looney and Klay Thompson are both ANTA athletes, as are Gordon Hayward, Rajon Rondo, and James Wiseman. Beyond the United States, ANTA has deals in place with Manny Pacquaio and the IOC. Furthermore, the company serves as a sponsor for 26 Chinese national sports teams.

Who is ANTA?

In a US-centric world, ANTA is something of a sleeping giant. Founded in 1994, the company is the largest pure sports equipment manufacturer in the world. In terms of sporting goods, ANTA sits third behind Nike and Adidas. While maintaining a model of consistent success since the mid-90s, ANTA’s international footprint exploded thanks to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Two years after the event, they would land their first major international star in Kevin Garnett. The aforementioned Thompson signed with ANTA in 2017. Going beyond footwear, the company acquired Wilson in 2019. You may know Wilson as the producer of equipment for most ball sports.

However, the company is not without controversy, especially when it comes to the US and international relations. When the Houston Rockets tweeted support for Hong Kong in late 2019, ANTA was one of the Chinese companies that announced a boycott of the NBA. Furthermore, ANTA was identified as “digging in” by Yale University in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As mentioned by Charania, the unique position that Irving’s deal has granted the athlete means that ANTA is likely about to make a major push into the US market in the coming months and years.

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Mark Cuban On Kyrie Irving After Contract Extension: “I Like Him”

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Mark Cuban spearheaded the option to resign mercurial NBA superstar Kyrie Irving back to the Dallas Mavericks. The two sides got a deal done for three years, $126 million fully guaranteed. The 31-year-old is now contracted through the 2025-2026 NBA season, and Kyrie seems pleased with this development. Mark Cuban is also happy with how it all went down. On SiriusXM NBA Radio, he told New York reporter and sports analyst Frank Isola why he traded for Kyrie last year and why he signed him for the near future.

“…We traded for [Kyrie Irving] because we wanted him to be a long-term piece,” Mark Cuban said on SiriusXM. “I think Kyrie’s just misunderstood.” Cuban explains his stance further: “Everybody sees all the noise and everything around him, but when you actually talk to him, I like him. He’s open, he’s smart, he’s always looking to learn things, and to me, he’s an interesting guy that’s just misunderstood.” Kyrie Irving has been long known for his off-the-court opinions and refusal to get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more: Kyrie Irving Dazzles In Latest Video: Watch

What Mark Cuban Really Thinks Of Kyrie Irving

Cuban was genuinely surprised when Kyrie Irving came to the Dallas Mavericks midway through last season. The Mavs traded for him, taking him from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, two future first-round picks, and a future second-rounder. Dallas also got Markieff Morris in the deal to make the contract amounts work. So when Kyrie began to play games for the Mavs organization, Mark Cuban was shocked at how many other players in the league would come up to the point guard to show love.

“Not just giving him a high five, but like a real, honest-to-goodness, I like you hug,” Cuban said. “And when you talk to players around them, they would say the same thing.” The Dallas Mavericks were looking for a long-term solution to pair with generational talent and franchise superstar Luka Doncic. Their previous point guard, Jalen Brunson, departed for the New York Knicks last offseason, leaving the Mavericks with more questions than answers. Mark Cuban hopes Kyrie Irving can be the answer and has staked $126 million on that hope.

Read more: Mark Cuban Points Blame For Jalen Brunson Departure

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Kyrie Irving Meeting Six Teams In Free Agency

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On June 27, Kyrie Irving was “close” to re-signing with the Dallas Mavericks. The market for Irving was “extremely limited, perhaps almost nil” according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The Mavericks had not only the interest but also the financial ability to sign Irving. The maximum offer Dallas could offer was 5 years, $272.9 million.

However, a day later, it was reported that Irving would be meeting with the Phoenix Suns. While the Suns are incredibly cap-burdened, the appeal of joining a title-hunting superteam in Phoenix certainly has its appeals. Well, as the offseason continues to grow wilder, it’s now being reported that Irving will have at least six free-agency meetings around the league.

Read More: Clippers make Ivica Zubac available for trade amid James Harden speculation

Irving Interest Explodes

Per Bill Reiter of CBS Sports, Kyrie Irving has six meetings scheduled for June 30, when free agency officially begins. The first two meetings are the ones already reported. Irving will meet with the Mavericks as they try to retain the veteran they traded for in the middle of last season. Then there’s the aforementioned Suns, with their superteam plans. However, the other four options represent a wide range of playing experiences for Irving. Whether it’s with a title contender or rebuilding franchise, there’s a little bit of everything on the table.

Read More: Pistons scaring off trade suitors for Bojan Bogdanović with first-round pick demand

The Miami Heat are reportedly meeting with Irving, following their failure to trade for Bradley Beal and the continued uncertainty of Damian Lillard’s availability. Meanwhile, the Rockets join the hunt for Irving after losing out on James Harden. Whether Irving is the preference to Fred VanVleet, or whether he will be a veteran leader alongside VanVleet, remains to be seen. Meanwhile, both LA teams are also meeting Irving. For the Lakers, it’s likely they want a title run before they potentially lose LeBron to whichever team drafts Bronny. Meanwhile, the Clippers could be pulling a Suns and building a superteam, no matter the cost, to finally win them a championship. Where do you think Irving will land? This is a developing story and we’ll have any updates here at HotNewHipHop.

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Kyrie Irving To Take Free Agency Meeting With Phoenix Suns

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24 hours ago, it appeared as if Kyrie Irving was returning to the Dallas Mavericks. With the market for the veteran reportedly “non-existent”, Woj went on TV to tell the world that Irving and the Mavs were “close” to finalizing a new deal. With money being a non-issue for Dallas, they could lock up Irving for as much as five years and $272.9 million.

But you should never trust anything in the NBA offseason to remain simple. Reports are now emerging that Irving will take a meeting with the Phoenix Suns once free agency officially opens on June 30. Not only does it add a shocking twist to one of the few “sure things” of the offseason, but it also raises a number of questions as to just what the Suns are doing.

Read More: Sixers become favorites to retain James Harden after player meets with new head coach Nick Nurse

Irving To The Suns?

Per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Kyrie Irving will meet with the Suns in the first days of free agency. Furthermore, the Houston Rockets are also expected to take a meeting with Irving. It’s unclear where all the interest in Irving has suddenly come from, but it appears to be very much real. The Suns have already acquired Bradley Beal this offseason and are evidently looking to build the ultimate championship-hunting superteam. However, the biggest obstacle in signing Irving will be the salary cap. The Suns, with their incredibly bloated roster, are already pushed up against the league’s hard cap.

Read More: Bulls’ demands making Zach LaVine trade nearly impossible to pull off

Despite this meeting, the Mavs are still believed to be the favorite for Irving’s services. As mentioned, they have the salary space to accommodate a max offer for Irving. Furthermore, it is believed that Dallas is eager to lock down Irving in order to utilize him in attracting other free agents. However, the tenacity of Mat Ishiba, and his desire to bring a title to Phoenix, should not be underestimated. This is a developing story and we’ll have any updates here at HotNewHipHop.

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Kyrie Irving Reportedly “Close” To Re-Signing With Dallas Mavericks

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Kyrie Irving is expected to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks when free agency opens on June 30. First reported by ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Irving can sign for a maximum of 5 years and $272.9 million. Irving had previously expressed excitement at exploring free agency. However, the market for the controversial star was reportedly “non-existent.” Woj reiterated this belief in his reporting. He stated that spots for Irving to land beyond Dallas were “extremely limited, perhaps almost nil.”

Dallas traded for Irving mid-season, hoping to spark a powerhouse pairing between Irving and Luka Dončić. However, the Mavericks limped to the end of the season, earning themselves a tanking penalty for benching the stars in the final game of the season. While Irving did not openly reject a return to Dallas, it’s hard to imagine he’s happy about it being his only way forward.

Read More: Houston Rockets preparing to offer massive contract to Fred VanVleet in free agency

The Irving-Dončić Experiment Continues

Irving will likely return to the Mavericks on a long-term deal. This allows Dallas to focus on building themselves into a contender. In the draft, they picked up Duke center Dereck Lively II, while also dumping the contract of forward Davis Bertrans. Furthermore, in another trade, they picked up center Richaun Holmes and drafted power forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper in a deal with the Kings. At the time of writing, the Mavericks have eight players under contract. Furthermore, the Mavs are one of six teams reportedly enquiring about Toronto’s Pascal Siakam.

Read More: No trade interest for Zach LaVine; Bulls believed to be asking for too much in return

In short, re-signing Irving sets the Mavs up with two veteran leaders to mentor a younger squad. With this the team believes can be a contender in the next few years. Whether they contend next year remains to be seen. NBA Draft Room projects them as picking just outside the lottery, suggesting a first-round playoff loss. That would certainly be a step in the right direction. How do you feel about Kyrie returning to the Mavs? Let us know in the comments. Follow all the latest NBA news here at HotNewHipHop.

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Kyrie Irving Spotted At Iconic Rucker Park

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It’s shaping up to be an interesting offseason for Kyrie Irving. After a mid-season trade to the Dallas Mavericks, it looks like Irving is not sticking around to continue the great experiment alongside Luka Dončić. While the 31-year-old was at the center of some controversy this season, sharing a link to an anti-Semitic conspiracy film on Twitter, it was thought he would be something of a hot commodity. As the season wound down, multiple teams were rumored to be considering pursuing Irving.

However, recent news suggests that may be far from true. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the free agent market for Irving is “non-existent”, with the Mavs the only team currently pursuing Irving. Irving does not appear eager to return to Dallas. On the other hand, he has not publicly ruled out another stint with the Mavericks. However, a recent public sighting of Irving could be an indication of the point guard’s future.

Irving Spotted In New York

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by 2Cool2Blog (@2cool2bl0g)

Shared to Instagram by 2Cool2Bl0g, footage shows Irving, surrounded by friends, family, and some NYPD officers, pushing a stroller through Rucker Park. Rucker Park is an NYC institution located in Harlem. Players like Kareem, Wilt, Metta Sandiford-Artest, and Dr. J all played on its courts prior to their NBA careers. In 2022, Rucker Park was one of the sites used for The Basketball Tournament.

However, the bigger question is whether this means anything for Irving’s plans. Obviously, Irving is coming off four years in New York and probably still has major links to the city. Despite this, is there a story here? Could the Nets or Knicks be interested in picking up the free-agent guard? Or this is simply a social visit to a place Irving called home for a number of years? After all, Irving attended high school in nearby New Jersey. It’s not a region of the country he has no links to. Regardless, let us know your theories in the comments. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.

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Kyrie Irving Bidding War Reportedly Non-Existent

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Kyrie Irving is easily one of the best point guards in the entire NBA. However, there have been some issues with him in regard to how much he has actually played as of late. Overall, it feels like every single year is filled with some kind of drama concerning Kyrie. For a lot of people, this has become hard to watch. Moreover, for other NBA teams, it is simply unacceptable. In order to win titles, you need your players to be available, and Kyrie has not been able to accomplish that.

Having said all of this, Kyrie Irving is set to become a free agent this offseason. After an unsuccessful few months with the Dallas Mavericks, he will now get to choose where he goes next. So far, reports indicate that he is interested in returning to the Mavs. Furthermore, he has even tried to recruit LeBron James along with him. A team of Kyrie, Luka, and LeBron would be wild, although it probably wouldn’t work out so well.

Read More: Kyrie Irving Reportedly Trying To Recruit LeBron James To Dallas

Kyrie Irving Options

DALLAS, TX – APRIL 5: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against the Sacramento Kings in the second half at American Airlines Center on April 5, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks won 123-119 (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

According to reporter Marc Stein, some felt like a bidding war could take place for Kyrie. Unfortunately for the point guard, that has not been the case. Instead, very few teams are interested in the PG. The Dallas Mavericks seem to be the only team that wants him. This is obviously a good thing for the Mavs, who now have all sorts of leverage. Although, Kyrie and Luka were not a great duo, and that should absolutely give some people some pause, moving forward.

At this point, it is clear that this NBA offseason will be interesting to watch. With players like Kyrie looking for new contracts, we are bound to get a ton of great storylines. Let us know what you think of all this, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news from around the sports world.

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Kyrie Irving Reportedly Trying To Recruit LeBron James To Dallas

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Kyrie Irving has certainly had a bit of a hard time with the Dallas Mavericks. Although he and Luka Doncic should have been a dynamic duo, they were anything but. They clashed on the court and ended up missing the playoffs. However, it seems like Kyrie is interested in staying in Dallas. He has a free agency decision to make at the end of the month, and some rumors point to him staying in Texas. Overall, this would be a very interesting development, that would require more acquisitions.

Of course, Kyrie Irving was being tied to LeBron James all season long. Fans just assumed that Kyrie would go to the Los Angeles Lakers. After all, they could use a point guard, and LeBron loves him. Now, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, things could actually be going the other way. As he explains in the tweet below, Kyrie is trying to get LeBron to go to the Dallas Mavericks. Although, it doesn’t seem like we have an answer as to how LeBron reacted to that.

Read More: Pras To Sue 50 Cent, Kyrie Irving Over Informant Claims

Kyrie Irving Is Making Moves

One would assume that LeBron would rather just finish out his contract in Los Angeles. His son Bronny will be suiting up for USC this year, and he will want to see those games. If he were in Dallas, that would become a lot more difficult. However, you can’t help but imagine what a Luka x LeBron x Kyrie roster might look like. It would certainly be a lot of fun and would be absolutely box office, every single night.

Hopefully, we get some more information on this news soon. This year’s NBA offseason is shaping up to be incredibly interesting. There is so much to watch out for, and this recent development could throw a wrench in the plans of a whole lot of teams. Let us know what you think about LeBron potentially joining the Mavs, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the sports world.

Read More: Kyrie Irving Asks Fans To Stop Free Agency Speculation

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Jalen Rose Breaks Down Lakers’ “Message” To D’Angelo Russell

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D’Angelo Russell is one of the many questions that must be answered during the Lakers’ offseason. Russell, who is coming to the end of a four-year, $117,325,500 contract, is eligible to sign a two-year, $67.5 million extension before June 30. Russell averaged 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. However, he is just one of many questions for the Lakers. They have a number of pending free agents, as well as the possibility of LeBron’s retirement.

Another source of free agency speculation is Kyrie Irving. The 31-year-old is set to explore the market after speculation that the Mavericks would not be re-upping after a few months of the Kyrie-Luka experiment began to emerge. While the Lakers have publicly waved off interest in Kyrie, they remain a popular candidate to acquire his services. However, the offseason is still in its infancy. Despite this, former NBA star and current analyst Jalen Rose believe that the team sent both players a message about their intentions during the playoffs.

Jalen Rose Explains Russell Benching And Courtside Kyrie

“You can’t bring back DLo,” Rose said on NBA Today. ”I don’t care what number it is, what years it is because when you get benched in the close-out game while Kyrie Irving is sitting in front row, that’s a double message because how did he get his tickets? And so, based on that alone, at halftime of Game 3, everybody knew that D’Angelo Russell should be benched. He was like -53 on the floor, they were like +35 with him off the floor.” Russell averaged 6.3 points in 23.5 minutes of play against the Denver Nuggets.

He continued. “When they didn’t bench him, to me, that was them saying to him ‘you know what, we’re not going to do that to you right now because we hope to sign you this offseason. When they benched him in Game 4, that let me know that they’re not gonna try to sign him.” What do you think the Lakers will do with Russell and Kyrie? Let us know in the comments. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.

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Kyrie Irving Asks Fans To Stop Free Agency Speculation

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It’s that time of the NBA season when trade rumors begin to swirl. There are just three teams left in the playoffs and 27 teams trying to figure out their offseason plans. Along with that, there is a wealth of pending free agents including James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Khris Middleton, and Kyrie Irving. NBA fans should strap in for what will be a blockbuster offseason.

Kyrie Irving is an intriguing prospect on the free agent market. Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks to play alongside Luka Dončić. However, the Mavericks opted to choose rebuilding over playoff contention. It’s unclear whether the Mavericks will pursue Irving but of course, his pending freedom has led to rampant speculation of where Kyrie could be heading.

Kyrie Irving Tries To Shut Down Speculation

Irving, however, does not appear to be a fan of all the rumors. “Stop mentioning me on Twitter. All you fanbases, stop mentioning me right now. It is still the Western Conference and Eastern Conference Finals. Excuse me, Denver already made it to the Finals and we’re still waiting on Boston or Miami but can y’all please leave me out of this? Please, can I just be with my family in peace? I got people at my dinner table discussing what my free agency plans are. Stop that, y’all think it’s funny but please stop that. I actually like having peace of mind when I’m at the crib. I see all your ats and mentions…and I’m just as excited as y’all are but y’all gotta chill though,” Irving said on Instagram Live.

There is a wide variety of rumors swirling about Kyrie, who is linked to so many teams. It’s unlikely that Kyrie will be interested in a rebuilding project, hence why he appears to be leaving Dallas. However, it appears that Kyrie would much rather enjoy the ride, as opposed to doomscrolling on Twitter. However, when actual news of Kyrie’s next move breaks, we’ll have it here on HotNewHipHop.

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