Unfortunately, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the quarter-finals of the NBA Cup. During the game and in practices in the previous days, Kyrie took the court rocking an all-black pair of kicks from his signature line with ANTA that had not been seen before. Could this unnamed sneaker be the follow-up to the ANTA Kai 1?
While we saw the Kai line evolve through a more fashion-oriented design during our trip to China and the Kai 1 morph into a sleekier silhouette with the Kai 1 Speed, this appears to be the next evolution of his mainline performance models. The silhouette retains some Native American-inspired features through its embroidered patterns on the heel and midfoot while adding extra reinforcement to the toe and eyestays. Akin to his teammate Luka’s signature sneaker with Jordan Brand, wavy striations are on the upper, near the collar, and the black half of midfoot.
Down below, the silhouette also features a new tooling setup. A large foam midsole comes mostly exposed, with thick rubber reinforcements extending up from the outsole to the sidewall in a grooved pattern. We can also see a window near the heel that provides a glimpse into the cushioning setup, though the exact technology used here isn’t apparent through these early looks.
Though ANTA hasn’t confirmed this is the Kai 2, the brand provided a statement to Sole Retriever. “Kyrie Irving is the ANTA Chief Creative Officer. He is constantly testing innovations and products.” We’ll keep our eyes peeled and keep you updated on the latest developments on this story over the coming weeks. Download the Sole Retriever mobile app to receive real-time alerts and updates on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Images via Dallas Mavericks
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
