Kyrie Irving and Nike part ways ahead of Ja Morant's expected signature shoe

The inevitable split of Kyrie Irving and Nike happened faster than anticipated. The two have parted ways before his contract was set to end in 2023, a Nike spokesperson told Shams Charania on Monday.

Charania later tweeted that Ja Morant is expected to get a signature shoe with Nike, which lines up with a September report from Sole Retriever. A Nike industry source told The Commercial Appeal in September that a Morant signature shoe "is going to happen."

Industry experts have described the process of marketing and designing a new signature shoe as taking close to, and sometimes more than, a year. Morant visited Nike headquarters over the summer.

Morant would join Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Paul George as active players with signature Nike sneakers. Morant often wears Durant's and Irving's shoes, but he's been wearing more high-top Kobe Bryant signature shoes since injuring his left ankle two weeks ago.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Kyrie Irving, Nike split ways, Ja Morant signature shoe