Kyrie Irving has been one of the NBA’s most creative ball-handlers since the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him first overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, and he was named Rookie of the Year in his first season. In 2016, he hit the championship-winning three-pointer in the NBA Finals that gave Cleveland its first title. Irving was a Nike athlete for his entire career until the partnership ended in December 2022, and in July 2023, while playing for the Dallas Mavericks, he signed a five-year deal with Chinese brand Anta, which also named him its Chief Creative Officer.

The Anta Kai 1, Irving’s first signature shoe with the brand, was first seen on court in a Mavericks game against the Nets and hit retail on March 6, 2024, in the “Artist on Court” colorway for $125. Designed by Jared Subawon around Irving’s “Enlightened Warrior” ethos, with hieroglyphic-inspired symbols on the upper, its silhouette was crafted using virtual reality technology. It paired a carbon fiber midfoot plate for torsional rigidity with a TPU lateral sidewall for stability, a knitted toebox and Nitro Edge cushioning that was visible on the medial side. The Kai 2 followed on February 28, 2025, fully caging the Nitro Edge foam within the midsole and adding a TPU torsional plate, genuine leather overlays and full-length rubber traction with deep grooves that wrap up the sidewalls. A Kai 2 Speed version arrived in August 2025. In January 2026, Anta released the low-cut Kai 3 in a Chinese New Year colorway. It was built around nitrogen-infused N2 foam, with a breathable mesh upper reinforced through the midfoot and heel and an aggressive traction pattern that extends up the sidewalls for stops, pivots and lateral movement.