The Sneaker Evolution of Kyrie Irving

Now in his eighth season in the NBA, when Kyrie Irving isn’t busy breaking ankles he’s dilating pupils with his kicks. Five-time All-Star, 2014 MVP, and the league’s resident flat-earther, Uncle Drew was never one to walk the well-trodden path, a resolute characteristic embodied by his five legendary silhouettes with the Swoosh. Ice in the veins and rainbows on the feet, this is the sneaker evolution of one of the most significant players in the sneakersphere since Jordan: Kyrie Irving.

Kobe Bryant not only served as an inspiration on the feet, he also influenced Kyrie’s on-court basketball philosophy, with the take-no-prisoners ‘Mamba Mentality’ helping Irving to become one of the most nuclear ball-handlers and scorers in the league. The Nike Kobe 5 ‘Bruce Lee’ would also prove the catalyst for one of the most popular Kyrie 3 colourways: the ‘Mamba Mentality’.Taking a gash across the sneaker’s toe unit, the Kyrie 3 was hit with a retina-burning yellow reminiscent of the Kobe 5, the sneaker embracing new snakeskin detailing fused with some of Kyrie’s signature motifs, altogether becoming one of the baddest sneaker mashups in history.