In 2022, then Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving made changes to his management team by hiring his stepmother, Shetellia Riley Irving, to act as his agent. At the time, it was reported that Irving’s stepmom was working at BET as the vice president of ad sales.
The appointment came at a crucial time for the player, who had a $36,647,050 player option for the 2022-23 season. Prior to putting his mother in charge as his agent, Irving was managed by Roc Nation and Jeff Wechsler. He hired Roc Nation in 2019 after moving on from agent Jeff Wechsler.
Two years after hiring his stepmom, Irving, who now plays for the Dallas Mavericks, has signed his father, Drederick Irving, to a shoe deal with ANTA Sports, the company with which he has a business relationship. The NBA star’s association with ANTA Sports is less than a year, although a multi-year deal.
He signed with ANTA Sports after his former sportswear home, Nike, let go of him in 2022 after a series of controversial statements.
“The elder Irving was a 6-foot-4 guard in his playing days. He played for Boston University in college, and was a three-time All-ECACN honoree. Across 122 contests for the Terriers, he averaged 15.8 points on .469/.422/.754 shooting splits, 2.7 rebounds, two assists, and 1.1 steals per game,” according to Newsweek. Also, he played professionally in Australia.
The deal is the first in professional sports where a player has signed his father to a signature shoe deal. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, there is no date scheduled for the release of Drederick’s signature line but expected to hit Foot Locker stores soon.
Meanwhile, Irving’s first signature lifestyle sneaker has already launched overseas and is coming to the United States soon, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
