Kyrie Irving’s Anta Kai 1 Sneaker Will Release This Week in Its Third Colorway
The "Enlightened Warrior" edition features five colors representing five qualities.
Kyrie Irving’s first signature sneaker from Anta will release this week in its third colorway.
The Anta Kai 1 “Enlightened Warrior” features a mismatched arrangement across its two shoes with five colors representing five different qualities. The right shoe’s heel stabilizer is rendered in red to represent speed, while its green counterpart on the left embodies focus. Above the toe, two different patterns in black and white are given a purple outline on the right to invoke agility and yellow on the left speed. Black, which appears throughout the rest of the shoe is assigned to the “Ethos Inspiration” of the colorways namesake and helps form details pulled from “tribal and native inspirations.”
Anta launched the Kai 1 in March, just eight months after it announced it had signed the superstar point guard to a new endorsement deal. Irving was a sneaker free agent for a brief period of time following Nike ending its relationship with him because he’d shared a documentary featuring antisemitic views and dragged his feet before eventually denouncing them.
“Enlightened Warrior” follows “Artist on the Court” and “Kaiverse” editions of the sneaker, the latter of which was limited to just 323 pairs released during the opening of Anta’s Beijing flagship store. The shoe’s headlining technology feature is a carbon fiber plate inside a TPU foam midsole with targeted stability at the forefoot.
The Anta Kai 1 “Enlightened Warrior” will release Friday, April 12, through Anta’s website and select third-party retailers including Kicks Crew. Sign-ups through Anta will open Tuesday, April 9. Pricing is set at $125.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.