That’s what I don’t get, why he makes himself out to be such a victim. Dude grew up in an middle if not upper middle class family. Went to a private high school and then Duke, a school that not just anyone can get into, even if they’re really good at some sport. He was a multi millionaire before his 21st birthday. That’s an extreme life of privilege for most white ppl, let alone black ppl.
I could understand some of his feeling in regards to him learning and understanding his native American ancestry, as well as the fact that being from a economic background doesn’t negate your connection to a cultural/familial one.
However, his banner and way of showing his “understanding” is fucking stupid. He’s been given a platform to help promote causes and beliefs especially to the youth, and all he does is propgate bigotry towards another group of people and promotes causes that endanger others.
One thing he said stood out to me extremely blatantly to me. He was talking about his antisemitic tweets and told the reporter, "were you there when they taught us our history? How you you think it felt when I learned my history about slavery and opression?" As a jew I chuckled but was sorta pissed. How'd he think I felt when I learned that a government setup a mechanized system to eridcate my people from the planet? That millions marched and supported the ideas and they're still relavant today. Or that the towns my family came from have no jews left, not because they fled but because they were murdered.
Its only my personal antidote but I'll never forget being 13 years old and reading the diary of Anne frank as the only jew in the class. At the end I started crying and I was laughed at and teased by my classmates. They couldn't understand that it hit me fucking hard because that would have been me and my family. We lost people then and in pogroms prior. And don't get me started on the amount of holocaust and general jew jokes I had to put up with. All the races and religions at my school were totally cool with antisemitism.
He’s worse than a teenager. He’s the guy at the party smoking weed for the third time and waxing poetic about the mysteries of the universe. Then he starts asking if anyone wants to do Whippits.
It's a slippery slope. You start with a Nike sponsorship because all your friends are doing it. Then one night you're at a party and you make the classic mistake of following a hippie to a second location. Now you're missing get-togethers with friends because you can't stop driving around with a billboard trailer promoting McDonalds breakfast sandwhiches.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the content of their character but by the quickness of their handles.
WHo's the next player to say I will not give up my freedom to watch random nonsense on the internet and try to promote it just so a shoe company will pay me $100 mill?
"I saw this company willing to give me millions of dollars for doing next to nothing beyond what I was already barely managing to do, and I said, 'No more.'"
I think regardless of them terminating his contract, he’s probably getting the last 11m of his 100m contract with them.
But they were never going to renew him, though possibly keep him as a Nike athlete and send him free shoes.
Does Kai realize most people have to pay to wear those shoes?
>My tough time would be a dream to someone else.
-Geno Smith, on not getting down about being a backup.
He actually had a big closet with shoes before that.
This [Garland article](https://grantland.com/features/milwaukee-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo/) has one of my favorite Giannis story:
> Caron Butler remembers tossing out a pair of sneakers, only to have Giannis intervene: “He pulled the shoes out the garbage like, ‘What are you doing? These good shoes!’”
I'm pretty sure that he used actually have to share a pair of basketball shoes with at least one of his brothers back when they were kids, not shocking that he would have that kind of reaction.
They aren't really custom made, they are different to what consumers can buy but the biggest difference is in the insole that is moulded around their feet.
It can be taken out and put in other sneakers tho.
If you can see specialists and get medical devices, then probably so! You'll want to ask your regular doctor for a referral to podiatrist, and they will give you them fancy feets.
Padding, materials, and mid-sole are all different. This is for the stars with large sneaker deals. Most players do use normal shoes with their custom soles though
they do have custom orthotics... but kyrie and a lot of other NBA players who have signatures have the privilege of having custom builds. you can see a number of videos in youtube showing the difference. since we are talking about kyrie, here is a video showing his PE versus a general release
https://youtu.be/Gq-nwNRv0X8
there’s been some cool exceptions to only insoles…
Pippen decided he wanted Zoom Air instead of Air Max on the Pippen 1’s.
so Scottie got custom Zoom versions instead of the retails Air Max
https://imgur.com/a/VmsKrmM/
e: a word
I'm just way too much into sneakers.
There are some Youtubers that had PE's (player exclusives) in hand and compared them to regular releases, the shoes the players get tend to have much more stiffer soles as in they actually feature carbon fiber and whatnot.
Also if you see players giving away their shoes, they almost always take out the insoles.
Here's an example of LeBron, try to ignore the annoying ass dude in the back.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZrzrVGxp7U8
I remember a while back they found that Curry's PEs (5s?) had a stiff solid sole on the bottom while the regular release had segmented sole which had issues with pieces peeling off. Currys were already known to be very stiff and low cushion so I guess they tried to make it slightly softer and more flexible for regular people.
I don’t own them, but I’m actually pretty sure the Klay 7s and 8s are some of the best basketball sneakers on the market right now from all the reviews I’ve heard online, I’ve been looking into getting some
You just reminded me of an old commercial with Antoine Walker where he's playing barefoot and talking (sincerely) about how much he loves to play barefoot, and how he would play without shoes if he could. Even as a kid, I just remember thinking...why?
I’d guess he probably has a bunch of custom shoes made specifically for his feet, not to mention he has been playing in the same type of shoe for years.
Switching shoes might be a bigger ask for someone at his level than it would be for a regular joe
Also an idiot because regardless of whether he covered it or not everyone knows he’s still wearing those shoes he claims to be free of lol. It would be like an immate that claims their free because they put on a hoodie to cover their shackles
I'm convinced that Kanye's current trajectory is entirely because he thinks Pete Davidson is Jewish.
He's not, he maybe has one Jewish grandparent, but Kanye thinks he is.
Lol there's a British comedian, James Acaster, who has a bit about getting cucked by Rowan Atkinson (not his literal verbiage but the crux of the bit is his girl left him for Mr. Bean)
I’m not sure that’s true (for Ye). Ye is seemingly a Christofascist (he admits as much in an interview with Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys). He believes only Christians should be given leadership positions within America. Farrakhan is a Muslim so I doubt he’d incept that idea into Ye’s mind. They’re both antisemites though. Kyrie might be influenced by Farrakhan, however.
kanye been on that farrakhan shit since 2015, he mentioned him on all day released in 2015 saying "just talked to farrakhan thats sensei" and mentioned him on highlights off the life of pablo: "im about that farrakhan, life is a marathon"
My dumbass at the time thought the lyric was “gave Lebron a billie not to run LA”, thought he was suggesting there was a conspiracy where LeBron wanted to come to the Lakers but Nike paid him to stay in the East to not encroach on Kobe’s market lmao
Imagine taking all this money then complaining about freedom.
That literally changed this man's life for the better.
Do you know what people would do just for a fraction of his wealth?
Fuck this clown.
This dude has had shit handed to him for so long, he thinks consequences are shackles and not just like, the natural outcome of being a complete and total moron.
I’ve been lurking the Nets sub and man- the civil war they’re having amongst themselves over this dude is absolutely hilarious from an outsiders perspective.
He's going down that same route as Prince and Kanye, like when they were both talking that being under contract (a contract they signed of their own free will) was some form of enslavement.
It's so fucking dense.
He covered up the logo, and Nike is still getting the headlines and advertising.
He didn’t free himself FROM Nike. He made himself free FOR Nike. Nike gets free advertising from him now.
My guys mental gymnastics are better than his handles.
He's the most unfairly judged, persecuted victim According to himself
That’s what I don’t get, why he makes himself out to be such a victim. Dude grew up in an middle if not upper middle class family. Went to a private high school and then Duke, a school that not just anyone can get into, even if they’re really good at some sport. He was a multi millionaire before his 21st birthday. That’s an extreme life of privilege for most white ppl, let alone black ppl.
I could understand some of his feeling in regards to him learning and understanding his native American ancestry, as well as the fact that being from a economic background doesn’t negate your connection to a cultural/familial one. However, his banner and way of showing his “understanding” is fucking stupid. He’s been given a platform to help promote causes and beliefs especially to the youth, and all he does is propgate bigotry towards another group of people and promotes causes that endanger others.
One thing he said stood out to me extremely blatantly to me. He was talking about his antisemitic tweets and told the reporter, "were you there when they taught us our history? How you you think it felt when I learned my history about slavery and opression?" As a jew I chuckled but was sorta pissed. How'd he think I felt when I learned that a government setup a mechanized system to eridcate my people from the planet? That millions marched and supported the ideas and they're still relavant today. Or that the towns my family came from have no jews left, not because they fled but because they were murdered. Its only my personal antidote but I'll never forget being 13 years old and reading the diary of Anne frank as the only jew in the class. At the end I started crying and I was laughed at and teased by my classmates. They couldn't understand that it hit me fucking hard because that would have been me and my family. We lost people then and in pogroms prior. And don't get me started on the amount of holocaust and general jew jokes I had to put up with. All the races and religions at my school were totally cool with antisemitism.
"Were you there when I read a book?" Uh yes Kyrie was in the bathroom with you
He’s the dumbest greatest basketball player I’ve ever heard of. Due is a teenager with handles.
He’s worse than a teenager. He’s the guy at the party smoking weed for the third time and waxing poetic about the mysteries of the universe. Then he starts asking if anyone wants to do Whippits.
Fuck I had a phase like that in college, was fucking insufferable.
Whippits will get ya. Especially at 3am in a 7-11 parking lot in northern Vermont in January.
This guy's got stories
You have what Kyrie doesn't have, self awareness.
And student loan debt.
Nah, what we're seeing now is the part where he thinks he's ready for a dab and then gets really paranoid and thinks the whole world is after him
He’s the dude with dreads who claims he’s smarter on acid
“Yooo bro honestly, I swear to god i actually be thinking stuff on acid that’s like, you know, mad meaningful.”
/hits the joint “Where da dookie go?”
As someone who takes acid and went through a dashiki phase: I can confirm.
That's saying a lot, since his handles are legitimately one of the best ever. God gave him hands, not brains.
There always seems to be a tradeoff, isn't there best handles, not so best brains
If only he could use his hand brains to form opinions.
“I was always technically free, but now I am free with less money!”
I, too, am free from the burden of Nike sponsorship.
It's a slippery slope. You start with a Nike sponsorship because all your friends are doing it. Then one night you're at a party and you make the classic mistake of following a hippie to a second location. Now you're missing get-togethers with friends because you can't stop driving around with a billboard trailer promoting McDonalds breakfast sandwhiches.
Never go with a hippie to a second location.
You mean always
Why are you wearing a tuxedo? What am I, a farmer? It's after six.
Remember guys, real champs eat at McDonalds. I'm Lovin' It
Can I get the check?
Is that the guy from the Cosby show?
No way, that's Tiger Woods
Don't be ridiculous, Tiger Woods was way too young to be in Cosby.
The way he flips his sunglasses for a moment
I had to go burn some sage after this comment.
I'm lovin' it
“I am free from being forced to accept millions of dollars for wearing shoes!! Fuck the oppression!!”
He’s basically Rosa Parks.
Martin Luther Kai
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the content of their character but by the quickness of their handles.
And the depth of their bag
More like his dream is to be able to spout antisemitism on twitter without blowback.
They should free him from the NBA as well.
IKR....lol. He needs that money
WHo's the next player to say I will not give up my freedom to watch random nonsense on the internet and try to promote it just so a shoe company will pay me $100 mill?
The older I get the more I appreciate Kawhai.
While still wearing an old model of said shoes, because he got a ton of them in his closet...for free.
> forced no no, he's free from the *choice* to do that.
A shoe that he's still wearing.
Kyrie acting like Jerry busting out of the Jerryboree with this.
"Okay then, that was always allowed"
"I saw this company willing to give me millions of dollars for doing next to nothing beyond what I was already barely managing to do, and I said, 'No more.'"
I think regardless of them terminating his contract, he’s probably getting the last 11m of his 100m contract with them. But they were never going to renew him, though possibly keep him as a Nike athlete and send him free shoes.
Free from a massive paycheck I guess.
smh you'd need to open your flat mind to even begin to understand.
"Flat mind" is killing me hahaha.
Super flat, super smooth.
He used his free speech to bash jews, Nike used its free speech to disown Kyrie. Only thing he's free of is most people's respect.
Because he was enslaved by Nike prior to this
I gladly volunteer to fill the open slave position.
We'll give you $11MM per year to wear these shoes, if you want, you slave!
Dear god please no, I have a family to feed!
Does Kai realize most people have to pay to wear those shoes? >My tough time would be a dream to someone else. -Geno Smith, on not getting down about being a backup.
That’s what you say now. Wait until you’re being forced to wear custom shoes for millions of dollars a year
That YOU can help design
I'm sure they got a temp job hiring in your area
The biggest human rights violation in history.
Why wear the Nikes still ?
I mean dude probably has a couple of hundred pairs lying around.
Pretty sure when Giannis signed his deal, not too long after he said he has a room and a storage full of his shoes. Kyries got years of this on him
He actually had a big closet with shoes before that. This [Garland article](https://grantland.com/features/milwaukee-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo/) has one of my favorite Giannis story: > Caron Butler remembers tossing out a pair of sneakers, only to have Giannis intervene: “He pulled the shoes out the garbage like, ‘What are you doing? These good shoes!’”
Thanks for sharing. That was a fun read
I'm pretty sure that he used actually have to share a pair of basketball shoes with at least one of his brothers back when they were kids, not shocking that he would have that kind of reaction.
I swear I think this was a frequent commentator thing in NBA2K
I too watched that movie
Giannis is the American dream
He really is. I love that dudes perspective.
I love Giannis. Glad he's becoming the face of the league. No one deserves it more.
Not to mention his shoes are probably custom made for his feet and not the pairs you can just get from a store.
They aren't really custom made, they are different to what consumers can buy but the biggest difference is in the insole that is moulded around their feet. It can be taken out and put in other sneakers tho.
That....sounds like you just described custom made.
Ps, if you have insurance, get them molds from foot doctors. They help so much. I’m lucky my insurance gives me a pair a year
🤔 would your average health insurance in the US cover that? Cuz I have foot problems and knee problems and that could probably help.
Prolly not average. They’d cover a good amount most likely for average. I pay alot cuz I got lots of issues from football days
If you can see specialists and get medical devices, then probably so! You'll want to ask your regular doctor for a referral to podiatrist, and they will give you them fancy feets.
My insurance thankfully does cover specialists and thankfully don't need a referral from my doctor for them. I'ma look into this!
It literally is a separate insole lmao, the shoe itself isn't custom made.
Oooh my b I misunderstood your statement
Padding, materials, and mid-sole are all different. This is for the stars with large sneaker deals. Most players do use normal shoes with their custom soles though
they do have custom orthotics... but kyrie and a lot of other NBA players who have signatures have the privilege of having custom builds. you can see a number of videos in youtube showing the difference. since we are talking about kyrie, here is a video showing his PE versus a general release https://youtu.be/Gq-nwNRv0X8
there’s been some cool exceptions to only insoles… Pippen decided he wanted Zoom Air instead of Air Max on the Pippen 1’s. so Scottie got custom Zoom versions instead of the retails Air Max https://imgur.com/a/VmsKrmM/ e: a word
How do you know this?
I'm just way too much into sneakers. There are some Youtubers that had PE's (player exclusives) in hand and compared them to regular releases, the shoes the players get tend to have much more stiffer soles as in they actually feature carbon fiber and whatnot. Also if you see players giving away their shoes, they almost always take out the insoles. Here's an example of LeBron, try to ignore the annoying ass dude in the back. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZrzrVGxp7U8
I remember a while back they found that Curry's PEs (5s?) had a stiff solid sole on the bottom while the regular release had segmented sole which had issues with pieces peeling off. Currys were already known to be very stiff and low cushion so I guess they tried to make it slightly softer and more flexible for regular people.
Because it’s not a secret? You can get those soles yourself too for a little bit extra
Playing barefoot is hard on your feet.
Which is worse? 1) playing barefoot, 2) playing in prime LeBron’s sandals, or 3) playing in Klay branded Anta’s?
I don’t own them, but I’m actually pretty sure the Klay 7s and 8s are some of the best basketball sneakers on the market right now from all the reviews I’ve heard online, I’ve been looking into getting some
You just reminded me of an old commercial with Antoine Walker where he's playing barefoot and talking (sincerely) about how much he loves to play barefoot, and how he would play without shoes if he could. Even as a kid, I just remember thinking...why?
Because he wants to be like Mike
Quality lol
He don’t own any other shoes
My guess is it’s still got his name and logo on it and it’s probably a “fuck you” to Nike by covering their logo.
I’d guess he probably has a bunch of custom shoes made specifically for his feet, not to mention he has been playing in the same type of shoe for years. Switching shoes might be a bigger ask for someone at his level than it would be for a regular joe
It would be a “fuck you” if he wore Nike’s competition. He’s low key saying they make the best shoes by continuing to wear them after having beef
They are comfortable shoes he’s accustomed to?
Maybe he...idk....likes wearing them because they're comfortable?
That’s why I wear them
Well… at least he’s not going on Alex Jones to talk about how much he looooooooves Hitler (goddamn the bar is low right now).
I give him 6 months
Corny as hell
I’m not fired, I quit vibes lol
"It was mutual"
Straight up I'm 14 and this is deep
Just a total idiot actually, considering the people that made the shoes working conditions
Also an idiot because regardless of whether he covered it or not everyone knows he’s still wearing those shoes he claims to be free of lol. It would be like an immate that claims their free because they put on a hoodie to cover their shackles
Some of the people who harvested the materials for these shoes probably do wish they were free.
Bro thinks he’s so deep lmao. Self awareness is not his forte.
Kyrie Irving reminds me of so many girls i knew in high school
What a fucking martyr.
[Big Ye vibes with this here](https://youtube.com/shorts/NknWOtFWJzQ?feature=share)
Antonio Brown vibes
Mr. Basketball Conspiratorialist
Mr. Ball Carrier
Big grandma I’m free vibes
what getting cucked by Pete Davidson does to a mfer
I'm convinced that Kanye's current trajectory is entirely because he thinks Pete Davidson is Jewish. He's not, he maybe has one Jewish grandparent, but Kanye thinks he is.
Anti-semites will both claim there are fewer Jewish people than we think there are AND call everyone they don’t like Jewish. Smh make it make sense
Pete Davidson is like new era Mr. Bean. Fucker shows up in the most unexpected places and has some truly unexpected results.
Lol there's a British comedian, James Acaster, who has a bit about getting cucked by Rowan Atkinson (not his literal verbiage but the crux of the bit is his girl left him for Mr. Bean)
Given his ability to seduce women way out of his league, I'd call him Mr.Bone.
Kyrie just sounds like Kanye if he were medicated. Still nuts, just not in full blown psychosis
Interestingly, Ye also posted a new song on his IG yesterday titled “Someday We’ll All Be Free”
All of this shit is because Louis Farkhan is poisoning their minds. Without a doubt, 100% they are talking in the same circles.
I’m not sure that’s true (for Ye). Ye is seemingly a Christofascist (he admits as much in an interview with Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys). He believes only Christians should be given leadership positions within America. Farrakhan is a Muslim so I doubt he’d incept that idea into Ye’s mind. They’re both antisemites though. Kyrie might be influenced by Farrakhan, however.
kanye been on that farrakhan shit since 2015, he mentioned him on all day released in 2015 saying "just talked to farrakhan thats sensei" and mentioned him on highlights off the life of pablo: "im about that farrakhan, life is a marathon"
He said he talked to Farrakhan recently in one of his recent unhinged interviews (the short Tim pool one iirc)
Nike treats employees just like slaves, gave LEBRON a Billie not to run away
My dumbass at the time thought the lyric was “gave Lebron a billie not to run LA”, thought he was suggesting there was a conspiracy where LeBron wanted to come to the Lakers but Nike paid him to stay in the East to not encroach on Kobe’s market lmao
Why does this sound like a interesting conspiracy theory lol
some of their slaves Are better compensated than others
Kanye may be losing every thing in his personal and professional life, but they’ll never take away his perfect comedic timing
Should be top comment
I AM FREE FROM THE CONTRACT I VOLUNTARILY SIGNED INTO THAT GAINED ME GENERATIONAL WEALTH. \-Dumbass Kyrie.
Why didn’t he just use a different brand of shoe then?
He wouldn't do that for free.
If he was really committed then he’d play barefoot…
"I am Free....to still wear Nikes"
"I am free...of my last braincell"
Man acts like he was being held ransom lmao, and his peabrain fans eat it up. If he wanted to ‘be free’, he could’ve left Nike at literally any point
Free from what exactly? Mans acts like he was burdened so much by being paid million dollar checks for shoes.
Kyrie next week: you peasants wouldnt understand
He’s free! He no longer has to physically manufacture his shoes in a sweat shop!
Imagine taking all this money then complaining about freedom. That literally changed this man's life for the better. Do you know what people would do just for a fraction of his wealth? Fuck this clown.
>Do you know what people would do just for a fraction of his wealth? >Fuck this clown. Yes, yes they would.
Fr. People struggle and this guy larps as someone who struggles under the circumstances of his life. Rich people truly are the worst
Well to be fair, NBA players are a special type of rich. In particular the “dumb as a rock but suddenly worth tens of millions of dollars” type.
Kyrie makes me like basketball less, can’t wait until he doesn’t play anymore.
"I'm free" yet he's still wearing the shoes, so not only is he still wearing Nike, he's now making significantly less money for it
And still has the logo prominently on his jersey and shorts. 😂
why doesn't he free himself from the shackles of an NBA contract while he's at it.
This dude has had shit handed to him for so long, he thinks consequences are shackles and not just like, the natural outcome of being a complete and total moron.
“just ignore the giant nike symbol on my jersey”
Free = Less Money! But to some people who already have a wealth, money doesnt matter. 🤷🏽♂️
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose
Yeah...The same way I'm free from the contract making me millions This dude is like teenagers after a breakup... "I'm free" yikes...
"I never liked those shoes anyway. Those shoes have no friends."
What a clown. So brave.
Fucking loser
He thinks he’s so deep, what a fucking loser.
I’ve been lurking the Nets sub and man- the civil war they’re having amongst themselves over this dude is absolutely hilarious from an outsiders perspective.
Flat World B Free
I remember back when Kyrie made headlines for his incredible play on the court, and not for being a fucking idiot.
Li Ning got their guy.
Lame ass
God there aren’t words for how much I can’t stand this nazi ass loser
I doubt anyone wants him wearing their shoes right now
I am free. From the $11m per year deal that I signed with Nike…
“I am free of several million dollars I would’ve made.”
Yeah he isn't free from any consequences from bad choices. Just like the rest of us
Oh great now he’s going by the name “Free”? When does this end?
Wannabe Eren Jaeger
So corny.
r/im14andthisisdeep
Rumour has it, the US gov't initially offered Kyrie for Griner, but Russia declined, citing "he was too much of a PR nightmare".
He's going down that same route as Prince and Kanye, like when they were both talking that being under contract (a contract they signed of their own free will) was some form of enslavement. It's so fucking dense.
free from a massive lucrative sponsorship deal, great
He’s insane.
What a pathetic man.
Lol dude just could’ve worn different shoes
He covered up the logo, and Nike is still getting the headlines and advertising. He didn’t free himself FROM Nike. He made himself free FOR Nike. Nike gets free advertising from him now.
“I wasn’t fired, I quit” got ‘em!
Kyrie Irving is a bigot. Jalen Brown is a bigot. Fuck all these Nazi athletes.
Poor poor Kyrie, such a grueling and oppressive life he lives.
Fucking doofus.
What a whiny little baby he is
I hope Nike releases a billboard proclaiming their own freedom.