Nike (left), @k11kicks Instagram post (right)
- Brooklyn Nets basketball player Kyrie Irving said the upcoming Kyrie 8's are "trash."
- Irving said on his Instagram that "Nike plans to release it without my okay" and apologized to fans.
- Last year's Kyrie 7 shoe was a best-seller, according to Nike CEO John Donahoe.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Brooklyn Nets basketball player Kyrie Irving is not a fan of the newest Nike shoe sporting his name, according to his verified Instagram account.
"I have nothing to do with the design or marketing of the upcoming Kyrie 8," Irving commented on an Instagram post showing leaked photos of the shoes. "These are trash! I have absolutely nothing to do with them! Nike plans to release it without my okay, regardless of what I say, so I apologize in advance to all my sneaker heads and true supporters."
Fans of Irving expressed disappointment around the claim that Nike did not "involve him in this design of his own signature shoe" after his past designs were best-sellers for the retailer. Nike did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Irving signed with Nike in 2011, with Kyrie branded shoes launching three years later. Since then, Nike has created six signature shoes as part of Irving's sponsorship deal.
On StockX, the highest Kyrie shoe resale bid is $4,000 for the Kyrie 3 Mountain Dew K.A.R.E Kit. The Kyrie 7 Expressions shoe sells for an average of $219 on the site.
"This quarter's launches in basketball, including the LeBron 18 and the Kyrie 7, have sold incredibly well," Nike CEO John Donahoe said in an earning's call last year. "I'm particularly excited that both were launched digital-first."