Kyrie Irving's 10 Best Shoes of the NBA Season

Kyrie Irving wore rare sneakers after splitting with Nike during the NBA season.

The 2022-23 NBA season was easily the most tumultuous year in the professional career of Kyrie Irving. Not only did the perennial All-Star change teams in the middle of the season, but he also changed sneaker sponsors.

Following Irving's controversial remarks that resulted in a suspension last November, Nike decided to cut ties with their signature athlete. After the breakup, Irving continued to wear Nike sneakers but covered the branding with tape and hand-written messages.

As Irving becomes one of the biggest and most unconventional sneaker free agents in the league, it is time to look back at his year in footwear. Below are the ten best basketball shoes worn by Irving throughout the NBA season.

Kyrie Low 5

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Before his fallout with Nike, Irving still represented the Swoosh on the court. During the Brooklyn Nets season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans, Irving wore the Nike Kyrie Low 5 in the 'N7' colorway.

The colorway was inspired by Nike's N7 Fund, a movement focused on getting youth in Native American and Indigenous communities in North America active. The shoes were initially released in June 2022 for $120 and have an average resale price of $127 on StockX.

Kyrie 4

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After parting ways with Nike, Irving began wearing older models from his signature sneaker line with hand-written messages concealing the Swoosh logo. 

Irving wore the Nike Kyrie 4 in the 'Blackout' colorway in January against the San Antonio Spurs. The shoes were released in July 2018 for $120 and have an average resale price of $275 on StockX.

Kyrie 3

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Upon his return to action, Irving drove sneakerheads crazy by wearing the Nike Kyrie 3 'Raygun'. The colorway pays tribute to a Nike SB Dunk Low colorway of the same name that was released in 2005.

The Nike Kyrie 3 'Raygun' was released in limited quantities in January 2018 for $120. The rare shoes now have a lowest asking price of $4,000 on the sneaker resale website GOAT.

Nike KD

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In addition to wearing his older models on the court, Irving also snowed love to his teammate Kevin Durant's signature sneaker line. On December 7, Irving wore an unreleased colorway of the Nike KD Trey 5 III.

While Irving was happy to support his teammate, that did not stop him from crossing out the Swoosh logos on the sides and heels of the player-exclusive kicks.

Kyrie 6

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Throughout the season, Irving wore the Nike Kyrie 6 in the 'Asia Grey' colorway. While the purple colorway features several nods to the world, it was actually a tribute to Irving's sister, Asia.

The Nike Kyrie 6 'Asia Grey' was released in July 2020 for $130. The shoes now have an average resale price of $170 on StockX.

Kyrie x Kobe

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In a few games throughout the season, Irving wore an ultra-rare pair of shoes from his line. Irving wore the Nike Kyrie 3 in an unreleased 'Mamba Mentality' colorway.

There have been colorways that have come out of a collaboration between the two lines. However, Irving's red and black player-exclusive kicks from 2017 were never released to the public.

Nike Kyrie 3

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In his first game with the Dallas Mavericks, Irving wore the Nike Kyrie 3 in the 'EYBL' colorway. The vibrant colorway was designed for the "Elite Youth Basketball League" participants, one of the most important amateur tournaments in the country.

The Nike Kyrie 3 'EYBL' was released in very limited quantities in May 2017 for $120. According to StockX, the shoes now have an average resale price of $390.

Kyrie x Mamba

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When the Mavericks hosted the TImberwolves in February, Irving wore the Nike Kyrie 3 in the 'Mamba Mentality Bruce Lee' colorway. The yellow, black, and red colorway pays tribute to Bryant and Lee.

The shoes were released in September 2017 for $120. According to StockX, the Nike Kyrie 3 'Mamba Mentality Bruce Lee' now has an average resale price of $510.

Kyrie 5

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On November 28, Irving wore the SneakerRoom x Kyrie 5 'I Love You Mom'. The shoes were part of a 4-pack collaboration between Irving and Suraj Kaufman of SneakerRoom to honor their late mothers.

The rare shoes were released in limited quantities in November 2019 for $110. According to StockX, the SneakerRoom x Kyrie 5 'I Love You Mom' now has an average resale price of $733.

Kyrie 4

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In January, Irving wore the Nike Kyrie 4 in the 'Yellow Lobster' colorway. The shoes are inspired by the super rare Nike SB Dunk Low of the same name. Irving debuted the shoes during his time with the Celtics and brought them back this season.

The Nike Kyrie 4 'Yellow Lobster' had a very exclusive release in February 2018 for $130. Currently, the shoes have a lowest asking price of $10,000 on GOAT.

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