It’s not uncommon for NBA stars to travel to China during the offseason to promote their shoe brands. LA Clippers guard James Harden was in China in August to promote Adidas apparel and his signature wine. Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero visited China in August to play basketball for Jordan Brand -to get in touch with the country’s enthusiastic youth.

As for Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, his offseason Chinese basketball trip involved much more than just appearances and hoops practice as Anta Basketball’s chief creative officer.

“It’s a cross-generational platform that I created,” Irving recently told Andscape. “My father’s commitment is aimed at those over 55 years old. This means you are never too old to continue playing basketball or to love getting out and staying active, playing basketball or being with the youth. And in order for me to continue the legacy of a shoe brand that has grown up with children over the last 14 years, I now have a big pillar in the culture that I want to take care of.

“I describe my shoe brand as my shopping mall. Anyone can come to my mall. It’s a collaborative mall and I want people to have a great experience, not just because they buy my product, but because they are part of something.”

Irving has been Chief Creative Officer of the Anta brand since 2023 and introduced his KAI 1 shoes last season. Irving, his father and Anta shoe ambassador Drederick Irving, and his agent Shetellia Riley Irving met with Anta officials at their offices in Xiamen, China, September 18-20. It was the first time the eight-time NBA All-Star visited the Anta offices in China.

Irving toured the Anta facilities, met with employees, viewed shoe and apparel designs, discussed ideas, and went to lunch with employees in Xiamen. Irving attended an Anta basketball clinic and other events in Shenyang, China, September 20-22 and in Bangkok September 22-24 before returning to America. Irving described his business trip as “amazing.”

“For American consumers, everything is just so quick and microwaveable,” Irving said. “But if you look behind the scenes to see what’s going on, you can understand how an idea becomes a product, how it’s sold and marketed, and what it looks like when I wear it.” Court. Because of the many other (Anta) teammates I have, it’s more of a passion project. It’s a bit like an NBA organization, but there are a lot more teammates.

“I have to run this office. I have to run that office there. And for me as CCO it was a new experience. I’m not a CEO. I am CCO. Everyone has their responsibility, but I try to develop the vision, that’s my job.”

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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving wears sneakers during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 29 at Target Center in Minneapolis.

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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving wears special occasion moccasins to honor his Native American heritage during a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 24 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving wears sneakers at the Kaseya Center for a game against the Miami Heat.

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Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving wears sneakers during a game against the Golden State Warriors during the Emirates NBA Cup game on Nov. 12 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

Irving began his NBA career in 2011 as a spokesperson for Nike. He was scheduled to release his Kyrie 8 shoe in November 2022, but the shoe release was canceled and Nike ended its relationship with him on November 4, 2022 after he posted a link to a book and a film with anti-Semitic messages on social media. On December 5, 2022, Nike mutually cut ties with Irving, well before the contract was set to expire in October 2023.

In May, Irving signed a five-year deal with Chinese sportswear giant Anta to wear its shoes and apparel and was named chief creative officer of its basketball division. The move gave Irving creative control over his shoe brand and allowed him to recruit athletes and celebrities to his shoe brand. After consulting with his agent and former Nike executive Jeff Rogers, Irving decided to join Anta.

“I’m not saying I didn’t want to do it (initially). I just didn’t know much about Anta,” Irving said. “So it was just more or less new. “Okay, who’s with Anta? What is this about?’ It wasn’t about what they offered. It was about me having the freedom to create what I want while being part of the engine that will build this big machine.”

Riley Irving praised the US design team for selling the NBA star on his entry. She says Irving was involved in every aspect of the brand, which was “super important” to him.

“Ky’s decision to come to Anta was based on the phenomenal US design team,” Riley Irving told Andscape. “They were really strong and influential in winning him over with their creativity and respect for Ky. They were very supportive of his vision and gave him a blank slate. They wanted to become a global brand and have Ky as their anchor. It gave us the freedom and flexibility to implement things immediately. It was really driven by the US design team.

“It was an opportunity to be a startup within a billion-dollar brand. They had the resources and tools to take us to the next level. He owns his designs and brands. This is something unheard of for this sneaker brand.”

In June, Irving signed a unique first contract with his shoe brand: his father.

Drederick Irving is a former Boston University basketball star who averaged 15.8 points from 1984 to 1988. The 1.93 meter tall guard scored 1,931 points in 122 games. By enlisting his 58-year-old father, Irving hoped to bring his shoe brand to the market of over-50s who are still athletic.

“My dad was my first senior athlete because not only did I feel like it was time to hand it to him or pay him back for all the sacrifices, but I wanted to make history with him and I wanted him to do that able to leave a legacy that goes beyond simply investing his time in me or my sisters,” Irving said. “I wanted him to have his own thing to represent the Bronx, Boston University, his wife, his life, his struggle. I wanted this to be the forward-thinking narrative that people connect with, not only our narrative and our story, but they also understand our struggle.

“I don’t know what people think about my family. But we don’t get by (financial wealth). We are from the Bronx, New York. Grandmother had six children when she was 20 and I have the same relationship with the world as I am still a young parent, but it is nothing other than showing love. It’s about the generation that came before you.”

Irving also told Andscape that he had signed his first NBA player, Cleveland Cavaliers swingman Caris LeVert.

In October, BRKicks posted a picture on Instagram of LeVert wearing the “Triple White” Anta Kai 1. Irving and LeVert were teammates with the Brooklyn Nets from 2019-21 and share a close friendship. LeVert is a former Jordan Brand Ambassador who is averaging 11.8 points for the Cavaliers this season.

“It was an easy deal because he’s one of my best friends,” Irving said of signing LeVert. “When I see him joining the family, I now have an idea of ​​how we can create something together. For me it’s not about just going against it and getting the best players, the best players and people, but having my family and people that I know really rock by my side and I want the brand legacy continue and continue to be part of something special.

“This is a startup company in America. Anta is a startup. It’s not a startup in China. So we’re trying to compete with some of the bigger juggernauts. It’s one of the hardest things you can do. So you need people who are thorough, morally strong, have great integrity, have great families and also love what they do.”

Irving is now a 13-year NBA veteran who has reclaimed his spot as one of the league’s elite guards in Dallas. He and fellow Mavericks star forward Dončić led the franchise to the 2024 NBA Finals. Irving also wore special moccasin Anta shoes during the Finals to honor his Native American heritage. Irving, 32, is averaging 24.6 points and 5.4 assists this season.

According to Jing Daily in August, Anta reported sales of $4.7 billion from January 2024 to June 2024, outperforming Nike China by 20% and Adidas China by 160%. So what is Irving’s most important ingredient for a successful shoe brand?

“The prerequisite for this is to be fearless, to take pride in your work and also to love the team because there is a lot of hard work that goes on that you don’t get to see,” Irving said. “Especially as a leader. I’m learning that as a leader there are a lot of little nuances and little things that happen that I can’t see.

“But I do my best to make sure I value my Anta employees. Yeah, they do a lot of that, man. A lot of legwork, a lot of preparatory work. I do things on the field when I’m in this office. They know I have direct eye contact and I want the best, not only from them, but I also want the families to be proud to wear our things.”