Kyrie Irving faced his former teammate Luka Doncic on Tuesday and chose special fan-designed kicks for the occasion.
A year ago, the Dallas Mavericks guard put a silhouette of his Anta Kai 1 on his Instagram story writing: “let me see what y’all can create on this beautiful Canvas.”
A fan made the most of the opportunity, following up with a sky blue and clouds design. The sketch, titled “unchallenged,” was shown to Irving last year, but the All-Star guard didn’t receive the shoes until Dallas faced the Golden State Warriors on the road Sunday.
The Mavericks posted on social media a video of Irving’s exchange with the fan. As the star point guard walked over to sign the kicks, he said, “Oh, you turned them into a life, huh?”
“You remember last year?” the fan asked.
“Yes, sir. Appreciate you, bro,” Irving said.
The fan then informed Irving that the shoes were for him, surprising the star as Irving asked, “These are for me?”
The two posed for a photo as Irving offered his appreciation. He wore the shoes in the Mavericks’ next game, a 107-99 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
He dropped 35 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in the defeat at Crypto.com Arena. It marked Irving’s eighth 35-point game this season.