Matt Varga Kyrie Irving’s bag, his dazzling layup package and arsenal of dribble moves, continues to make him “your favorite basketball player’s favorite basketball player.” Developing that was a task that took its own 10,000 hours, and on the performance-minded offshoot of his ANTA KAI 1 enterprise, #11 is dedicating to that exact labor of “Bag Work.”
For the uninitiated, Irving once revealed that part of how he honed his league-leading handles was by using plastic bags, wrapping up a basketball in one and going through his usual drills from there. Apparently, the idea came to him after watching a Baron Davis documentary where the All-NBAer himself was using the method.
In winking fashion, Irving and the ANTA team evoke a literal plastic bag, painting the ever-iconic “Thank you for shopping with us” text on the heel counter and topmost eyestay. An alternate yet equally lasting stacked “Thank You” appears you work to the forefoot, and graffiti-like “Bag Work” graphics in neon green make for a high-vis duo of accent shades to liven up the shoe as a whole.
As we saw with the release of the team bank colorways for the KAI 1 Speed, successive looks for the “1.5” version have tended towards more simplistic layouts. Indeed, with a toned-down foundation of dark grey and white, this pair holds up that tenet, but it’s the peripheral details that really tie in the namesake concept and give this pair its charm.
IThe ANTA KAI 1 “Bag Work” hits ANTA.com and partnering retailers like Foot Locker on February 13th, landing with $125 sticker price. Grade school sizes are also on tap for $110. Check out detailed retailer shots included below. Keep an eye on the “Where To Buy” section ahead or our Sneaker Release Dates for direct pick-up links upon arrival.
