Last night Nike unveiled Kyrie Irving’s first signature shoe.
The shoe has Irving’s new interlocking “KI” logo, his signature on the inside of the tongue and his number on the back of the heel.
His mother’s name, Elizabeth, is etched on the sole of the shoe with her birthdate and the day she died, when Irving was 4.
“That was one of the first things I knew I wanted to put on the shoe,” Irving said. “She’s one of the reasons why I’ve come so far, why I have the drive that I do.”
Underneath Irving’s logo on the shoe’s bottom are the letters “JBY,” which stands for “Just Be You,” a reminder to always stay humble.
“It’s great to have the support of Nike and the guys who came before me, like Kobe [Bryant]and LeBron [James],” Irving said. “It makes the juice taste that much sweeter.”
“I would always buy the LeBrons,” Irving said. “I had to have them, and there were so many color ways and so many different inspirations. Now that I’m his teammate, I see where all of this comes from. He’s such a smart guy.”
First look at Nike Kyrie 1. pic.twitter.com/d2cK8zeV8f
— Jacques Slade (@kustoo) December 4, 2014
I need the colorway he's holding immediately. RT @BrettEP: The Kyrie 1 pic.twitter.com/2OFleH5GyK
— Megan Ann Wilson (@shegotgame) December 4, 2014
3 Kyrie 1 colorways. Via @russbengtson pic.twitter.com/2zXNGmc2YD
— Jacques Slade (@kustoo) December 4, 2014
Irving’s teammate Lebron James was on hand for the special event.
RT @SLAMonline: .@KingJames dropped by launch of the Nike Kyrie 1 in NYC. See more photos: http://t.co/kXvH3VsJBU pic.twitter.com/wh0ZGU539f
— Duke Basketball (@dukeblueplanet) December 4, 2014
Irving’s shoe which retails for $110, will hit stores December 23rd.