Everything You Need To Know About The ANTA KAI 1

Kyrie Irving's newest signature shoe is off to a hot start.

Sneaker News June 25th, 2024 (updated)

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The ANTA KAI 1 is Kyrie Irving’s first ever signature shoe with Chinese sneaker brand ANTA. After signing a 5 year deal with the imprint in 2023, this season brought his signature shoe to the public. Though not confirmed, the next drop will come with the ANTA KAI 1 “Playoffs Energy” on June 5th, a day before Kyrie hits the floor in Boston for the NBA Finals. Each successive colorway of Kyrie’s latest signature has been a sell-out proposition- meaning it may take some assistance to get your hands on a pair. Below you can find our full breakdown of Irving’s newest kicks including a brief history, release information and the colorways we’ve gotten so far.

FROM NIKE TO ANTA

Nike ended their fruitful partnership with the then Brooklyn Nets superstar in 2022, following public pressure that came as a result of a slew of off the court controversies. Considering his signature performance shoes were a year-in, year-out money printer for the Swoosh, many immediately began wondering who would pick up the sneaker “free agent.” A handful of months later, Irving signed with ANTA, a Chinese sneaker brand that already boasted NBA players like Klay Thompson, Donte DiVincenzo and Gordon Hayward.

After sporting ANTA’s other inline performance shoes to begin the 2023-24 NBA season, Kyrie Irving debuted his new signature during a February game against the Nets in Brooklyn. The influence of Kyrie’s work with Nike was immediately noticeable via the closure strap that runs across the midfoot. However, the Chinese brand also opened the door for Irving’s personality to be tangibly expressed in the shoe’s hardware. Radial patterns and geometric iconography dot the silhouette, a nod to his Native American roots, the Maverick star’s name also appearing in hieroglyphic-like typeface. In all of the editions we’ve seen so far, the flashiness of the superstar’s game is expressed in the chosen palettes, with vivid pinks, purples and greens becoming a through-line across the silhouette.

ANTA KAI 1 RELEASE INFO

Releases of the ANTA KAI 1 are handled a bit differently than Jordan/Nike/adidas drops — typical retailers like Foot Locker or Finish Line do not carry the model. Instead, ANTA.com is your primary source for Kyrie Irving shoes, with an “Early Launch” sign-up opening a few days ahead of time and a standard launch following that. Most colorways have also been available through select ANTA partners: Extra Butter, KicksCrew and Sneaker Politics. For upcoming releases, we recommend keeping the ANTA.com homepage handy. Our “Where To Buy” module, included on every one of our articles, contains direct links to retailers for respective drop days. Each pair has retailed for $125, continuing the cost-effectiveness from Kyrie’s time with the Swoosh.

ALL COLORWAYS SO FAR

The first unveiled in-game, the “Artist On Court” colorway was also the first to be released to the public on March 6th, restocking shortly after on March 23rd, Irving’s birthday. Since then, six others have followed up that release stateside: “Enlightened Warrior” April 12th, Playoffs “Home” & “Away” April 19th, “Mother’s Day” May 11th, “Playoffs Energy” June 5th and “Green Grails” on June 22nd.

The “Triple Black” and “Garden State,” both unreleased in the US, stand as the most likely candidates to join the family next. Additionally, the “Chief Hela” spotted as a PE during the playoffs is on tap for later this year, confirmed by ANTA for a wide release. Finally, in the name of providing a comprehensive breakdown, we should mention that a grey and orange “KAIVERSE” pair was also released in the midst of those aforementioned colorways. However, it came in ultra-limited fashion — just 323 pairs were dropped exclusively at ANTA’s Beijing flagship.

: ANTA KAI 1 “Artist On Court” ANTA

: ANTA KAI 1 “Enlightened Warrior” ANTA

: ANTA KAI 1 “Playoffs Home” ANTA

: ANTA KAI 1 “Playoffs Away” ANTA

: ANTA KAI 1 “Mother’s Day” ANTA

: ANTA KAI 1 “Playoffs Energy” ANTA

: ANTA KAI 1 “Green Grails” ANTA

: ANTA KAI 1 “Triple Black” (unreleased in the US) ANTA

: ANTA KAI 1 “Garden State” ANTA

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ANTA has genuinely struck gold with the KAI 1, so it’s sure to continue to drop as the year plays out. Below you can find a detailed image gallery of the “Artist On Court” version courtesy of Extra Butter, showcasing the finer details you can expect with Kyrie’s newest silo.