Has Kyrie Irving signed with Anta? If recent images of the baller are an indication of a new deal, the NBA star could be aligned with the Chinese athletic brand.

Photos captured of Irving during his summer basketball camp by photographer Jun Lu (@junjdm on Instagram) circulated online over the weekend. In the images, Irving was seen wearing a black monochromatic pair of the Anta Shock Wave Pro 5 court-ready basketball style.

Irving wearing the shoes sparked speculation that the NBA champion has signed with Anta. The news, however, has not been confirmed by the brand or the athlete.

FN has reached out to Anta for comment.

If Anta has signed Irving, the brand would have yet another NBA champion wearing its shoes, having long backed Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.

Recent speculation surrounding Irving’s potential Anta sneaker deal has been fueled by a comment the baller made via Instagram Live late last month, stating a new deal is on the way. “I will be signing my new shoe deal very, very soon. I won’t even call it a shoe deal. I’m about to blow this stuff out the water,” Irving said in May on Instagram Live.

New of this potential new sneaker deal comes six months after Irving’s relationship with Nike came to an end. In December 2022, Nike stated in an email to FN that Irving was no longer a Nike athlete. The news was first reported on Twitter by Shams Charania, senior lead NBA insider for The Athletic and Stadium. The parting of ways came a month after Nike revealed it had suspended its relationship with Irving and stated it would not launch his Kyrie 8 signature shoe.

The moves stemmed from the public backlash Irving faced after posting a link to the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America” on social media. He repeatedly refused to denounce antisemitism in the days following the post, and only apologized after he was suspended by the Brooklyn Nets for at least five games.