Nike officially unveils Kyrie Irving signature line

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is officially getting his own line of signature shoes from Nike Basketball. At an event held in New York City, the apparel company announced Irving as being a part of the “next chapter” of signature athletes to join the fray with the Nike KYRIE 1s.

“As a kid, imagining that I’d be in the Nike family with my own shoe was something that seemed almost unattainable,” said Irving.  “Now that I’ve received the KYRIE 1 I’m honored to represent Nike and its next generation of players.”

The line has reportedly been in the works for over a year. It was designed by Nike’s Leo Chang with Jason Petrie and Peter Fogg also contributing. The goal? Build a shoe to match Irving’s tremendous speed and quickness. Check out a few of the renderings that led to the final product:

Following an extended development process, three key performance features were delivered, including Zoom Air forefoot cusioning, a dynamic 360-degree traction pattern which wraps the shoe’s sidewalls, and Hyperfuse construction for both support and breathability.

The shoe is a mid-top, appears to be initially releasing with two different colorways: Dream, a black base which will be worn on Thursday night in New York, and Deceptive Red, which comes out in early 2015. Irving’s signature “K” graces the tongue while his signature can be found inside. As reported earlier this year, it comes complete with an homage to Irving’s late mother in addition to the inscription “JBY” for “Just Be You.”

Becoming a signature athlete at Nike is an honor reserved for few. In the company’s 42-year history, less than one percent of its endorsed athletes have been given a signature shoe. Irving, who had previously worn mass-market lines with his trademark “K” on the tongue, joins the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant to get his own model. He becomes the first player in six years to receive his own line.

The KYRIE 1 will retail for $110 (almost half of James’ latest release) with NIKEiD versions being customizable for $155.

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